


The Lost Get Found

by ZeldaRose579



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Adorable Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV), Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Family Feels, Mandalorian Culture, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeldaRose579/pseuds/ZeldaRose579
Summary: A tale of found family, love, and adventure, set after the events of Season 1. Will eventually include The Armorer, Paz Vizsla, Greef Karga and a number of Mandalorian OCs-as well as others from a galaxy far, far away (specifically from Rebels and The Clone Wars-but a few others, too)  Tags will be updated accordingly.
Relationships: Alrich Wren/Ursa Wren, Cara Dune/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Din Djarin/Cara Dune, Ezra Bridger/Sabine Wren, The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV)/Paz Vizla, Tristan Wren/Original Character(s)
Comments: 124
Kudos: 108





	1. The Armorer

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, here's Chapter 1 of my first multi-chapter fic--title comes the song by the same name by Britt Nicole :)

There was less than an hour to go before midnight, and Greef Karga had finally reached his limit. He'd met a client before sunrise that morning, and had spent the remainder of the day working with a hired crew to repair the cantina. They were hard workers, who had accomplished a lot in the three days since the Imps had attacked—but _their_ workday had ended several hours earlier. He'd stayed, continuing to work on some of the smaller tasks in the back. By the time he'd locked up the disaster of a storage room, filled to the brim with any and all items that could be salvaged, he was more than ready to call it a day.

Though the bodies of the Imperials had been removed the day of the attack, and the blood was long mopped up, the cantina was still a wreck, and would be for several weeks. He'd temporarily relocated some of his bounty-related business to an out-of-the way building he owned a few streets over—but some it he planned to do from home, sipping caf at the kitchen table, or a nice Corellian whiskey on the back balcony.

As he opened the back door to leave, the faint moonlight glinted off a shiny object on the opposite side of the alley. He reached down for his blaster, but a few seconds later breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh—it's just you."

* * *

Cara had just taken her braid down, and was brushing her hair, when the knock came.

She muttered under her breath, rummaging through a basket of clean laundry for a loose tunic, which she slid over her tank and leggings. Grabbing both blaster and knife from beneath her pillow, she headed to the front door of her new apartment. It was probably just Ry coming off his shift, with a verbal report of what he was _supposed_ to be entering into the program on his datapad—but just in case…..

She opened the door. "What do you….."

But instead of a short, broad humanoid with orange skin, Cara found herself face to face with the Mandalorian Armorer.

She looked both ways down the walk outside her second story suite, then motioned for the woman to come inside.

She closed the door, and utilized all the security features. "Sorry, I was expecting one of my team members—I didn't mean to be rude." She gave the other woman a half smile. "I'd offer you a cup of tea, but I'm guessing you're not here for a social call."

The Armorer, who hadn't moved since she'd entered, spoke in the same even tone Cara remembered from her visit to the Covert. "I apologize for the Iate hour, but I thought the cover of night would be safest for both of us. I have a favor to ask of you."

"Shoot—but at least sit down," Cara said, gesturing toward a pair of oversized chairs.

"Very well." The woman perched herself on the edge of the upholstered seat, her posture just as straight as when she was standing. "As a security measure, the Covert has no means of communication with the outside, and I need to make contact with a member of our tribe, who has been off planet for several months. Greef Karga informed me that his equipment at the Cantina was…inaccessible…..at the moment, and suggested I speak with you, as you've recently acquired a communication system of your own."

Cara gave her a warm smile. "Not a problem at all. We just got it hooked up this afternoon—and thanks to some punk kids who tried to rob a liquor store before we could give it a trial run, you'll be the first to use it."

The Armorer nodded once. "Thank you—I promise to be brief."

"Come on, it's in the other room." Cara stood, motioning toward the softly lit doorway leading to her bedroom.

"This is a very nice setup—I'm impressed," the Armorer commented.

Cara smirked as she sat down at the desk. "Having your boss as your landlord definitely has its advantages." She flipped the power switch to the _on_ position, and the display lit up. "Karga says this system is a little different than his—maybe because _it's_ not older than I am, "she chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'll show you how to use it, and then I'll leave you to make your call."

"Actually…..if you don't mind—I would also like to briefly contact Din Djarin, so I can inform him of the change in means of communication. I thought you might like to say hello."

Cara froze—could that fancy helmet detect her increased heart rate? _Play it cool, Dune._ "Yeah, guess I should check on the idiot—make sure he's still alive, say hi to the kid."

She was sure she heard a smile in the Armorer's voice at her next words. "I don't think they'll be expecting you—we could surprise them."

Cara grinned. "Surprise as in you make the call, and I'll pop on when they're least expecting it?"

"Yes, exactly. I think the Foundling will particularly appreciate it. He does seem to be quite fond of you."

"Yeah…..we hit a little rough patch a few days ago, but I think we're good now—and he's kind of growing on me, you know?"

She guided The Armorer through the call sequence, then stepped to the side of the desk, out of the frame. Less than ten seconds later, Din showed up on the display.

"Hello Din Djarin. It's good to see that you've regained a semblance of health. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Still have a headache, but I think I'll live. How are things on your end?"

"The melting of the Beskar was completed this morning. This is The Way."

"This is The Way," he repeated softly. After a brief pause, he asked, "Any idea what our next steps will be? Have any from the Tribe returned?"

"No to both questions—but I plan to contact the Captain shortly, and will take his views into consideration before making a decision."

"Does he know about…..what happened?"

She shook her head. "I felt it necessary to complete the work at the Forge, and this is the first opportunity I've had to make contact."

Cara could see him looking around the visible space of the room. "That's not the back room at the cantina—where are you?"

It was the perfect opening.

"Hey Mando, how's space," she said, jumping into the frame. She felt her face spread into a smile so big it made her cheeks hurt.

"Cara! I…space is good. How are you? _Where_ are you?"

She laughed. "In my new apartment. Karga just set up my comm system this afternoon—and sent your friend over here to make her calls, since his is out of commission."

"That's…very kind of both of you." There were a series of sounds coming toward the floor on his end, and a few seconds later, there were two in the frame instead of one.

"Hey little guy, how are _you_?" Her voice was perfectly fine— _not_ squeaky at all.

"Eh?" the baby responded, looking around the cockpit for the source of the familiar voice.

"Look, she's right there—can you wave at her? Hi Cara," Din said, waving his own hand, which was shortly mimicked by a tiny green one.

Cara waved back, and felt her heart melt even further. "Hi buddy, I miss you. Are you keeping Daddy out of trouble out there?"

The answer was a string of babble that made Cara crack up—and she could've sworn she heard a chuckle come from the helmet next to her. "Well, there's no doubt about it—you've got a lot to say, even if _we_ can't understand it."

"He was sleeping when you called—I think he recognized your voice," Din said, stroking a velvety ear. The baby trilled a happy sound, his eyes going to half mast.

"Any leads yet on where his people might be?"

Din shook his head. "Not yet—but I thought of someone who might have some information—so we're heading there now."

"Oh yeah, where to?"

"The Western Reaches—Takodana, to be exact."

Cara's raised her eyebrows. "Oh wow—that's…far."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I got nothing otherwise. And if my contact doesn't have answers, she might know of someone who does. She's been around a long….." He cut off at the baby's distressed sound. He sighed, "Well, he needs the refresher, and still can't get down the ladder safely by himself. I guess I'll go."

She smirked, giving a two-fingered salute. "Have fun with that, Mandad. If you hear from any other Tribe members, they can contact me, and I'll make sure _she_ gets the message," Cara said, tilting her head toward the gold helmet beside her.

"Thank you, I will. _Akay vi urcir tug'yc_ ," he said to the Armorer.

" _Akay vi urcir tug'yc_."

"Bye, little one," Cara said, waving to the baby again. "Take care of your daddy for me."

He waved, followed by a "Ba" that she took to mean "bye."

"Talk to you later, Cara," Din said, then disconnected the call.

Cara found she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "Well, you ready to call your Captain now? I'll leave the room, so I can't take over this time."

The Armorer huffed out a quiet laugh. "I will be speaking to him in Mando'a—so unless you've picked it up somewhere along the way, I'm afraid you would have a difficult time _'taking over,'_ even if you wanted to. Though, _I_ don't feel that you overstepped at all. The three of you were clearly enjoying yourselves."

Cara smiled. "Yeah, they're something else. I miss…." she cut off with a yawn.

"Perhaps I should postpone calling him until tomorrow."

"No, it's fine. Go ahead and make your call—take all the time you need." She stood, reaching across the bed behind her to grab a pillow and blanket. "I'll go test the comfort level of my new couch. I was a dropper—I've slept in _much_ weirder places, trust me."

The Armorer chuckled. "I've no doubt about that—and I've done the same myself, at various times in my life."

"At _times_? You sleep in a sewer every night—that's a new one even for me." Cara quickly corrected herself. "Not that it's a _bad_ thing…..just…..unfamiliar. To me," she finished lamely.

"I imagine my current accommodations are better than many you've experienced. I _do_ have a bed and access to hot water," the Armorer added wryly.

Cara chuckled. "I guess I walked right into that one."

"You really did. But I know your intention was not to offend—and I've found humor to be a great catalyst in softening relations, as well as driving away despair."

"Laugh to keep from crying, huh?" Cara smirked.

"You have no idea," the Armorer replied, shaking her head slowly.

Cara sighed, softening her tone. "I'm sorry about what happened to your people. I only know two members of your Tribe—but you both seem decent. If the others were the same…..that's a big loss. The galaxy needs all the good people we can get."

"Thank you," the Armorer whispered. "It…..hasn't been easy." She took a deep breath, exhaling very slowly. "I suppose I should make my call now—I'm rather tired myself."

"Like I said, take your time. You know where to find me if you need anything." Cara gave her an encouraging smile. "Just wake me up when you leave so I can lock up."

"Of course."

* * *

Cara woke up a few hours later, and was surprised to see that the bedroom door was still closed. The chronometer on the wall above the couch showed that she'd been asleep for over six hours—and the sun would be coming up in less than two.

She knocked on the door, and after a few moments, and the sound of metal against the surface of the desk, it opened.

"Oh, Cara, I'm so sorry! I fell asleep during my call, and…" she trailed off. "I have no valid excuse. Please forgive me," the Armorer said, her tone almost pleading.

Cara gave her a sleepy smile. "There's nothing to forgive. Unless I miss my guess, you've been working around the chrono since the Imps attacked. Your body was at the point where, the minute you _didn't_ have to be on guard, you crashed. It happens—I know _I've_ been there."

The Armorer touched the part of her helmet covering her forehead. "I think you're right—thank you for being so understanding. And thank you for allowing me to make my calls. I promise I'll be more considerate in the future…if you'll allow me to return?" Her tone was unsure.

" _Yes_ , you can come back—I _promise_ , it's not a big deal! You _need_ to be able to contact your people—you _need_ each other right now." She paused. "Since you fell asleep—do you need to call the Captain back?"

The Armorer shook her head. "No, we had conversed about all needful topics—and he's sleeping now as well." She hesitated. "I hope we didn't disturb you last night—our discussion got…..a bit loud, when he found out about the Imperial attack."

"No, not at all. I was out in about ten seconds." Cara gave the Armorer a sad smile. "I haven't been sleeping so well myself. She looked down for a few seconds, willing the growing heat behind her eyes to _stop already_. "I know you need to get home before the town wakes up—but I have hot chocolate and pastries, if you're interested."

"I haven't had hot chocolate since…well, it's been awhile. I would love some."

"Great," Cara replied, smiling. "Nevarro's not exactly a center of commerce, so I was surprised to find it in the market—especially since it's _dark_ chocolate, which is my favorite. I also bought _way_ more pastries that I can eat before they go stale—at least without putting myself into a food coma," she chuckled. "And, since I have all of two friends, and both are off planet, I thought maybe I could stand to gain another one?"

The Armorer nodded. "I would like that very much—but first I need to dry my helmet, as it's a bit damp in here from sleeping. Do you have a towel I can use?"

Cara smiled, and pointed toward the attached refresher. "Right through that door. I'll go get the chocolate started."

* * *

"Okay, you ready?" Cara asked ten minutes later, as she placed her mug and pastry plate on the small table at one end of her back balcony. The horizon was still dark, and her only light was a small candle inside a red glass holder.

"Can you hear me?" the Armorer asked, her voice no longer modulated. She was inside Cara's laundry area, with only the light from the attached kitchen, her food on the table used for folding clothes. The window was open, but the screen, coupled with the dim room, allowed her to remove her helmet without revealing her face, even if Cara happened to look in her direction.

"Loud and clear," Cara replied. "You good in there?"

"Yes. Everything you've provided is more than sufficient."

"How long's it been since you've had a meal with someone outside your Tribe?"

The response followed a brief pause. "Quite a number of years. We settled here soon after the Great Purge, but even before then, we kept mostly with our own kind." There was another pause, and the sound of a spoon clinking against a mug. "The fresh air feels strange on my bare face—but it's very nice."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. How's the pastry and chocolate?"

"Both are excellent. Which bakery did you visit? Din Djarin has been holding out on me on his supply runs."

Cara laughed. "I'll have words with him next time I see him—about that, and letting your chocolate supply dwindle. But to answer your question, bakery's just up the street, on the corner. Be warned, though—the cute little old man who owns it is a smooth-talking flirt— _that's_ how I ended up with a dozen Corellian creams. Not that I'm complaining, she said, taking a bite of the second pastry from her plate.

The Armorer chuckled. "I think your submission to his charms was intentional."

Cara barely refrained from spraying her drink all over the table. "Shhh, don't make me laugh, I'll wake up my grumpy neighbors!"

"My apologies," the Armorer replied—though she didn't sound one bit sorry. "I only meant that I'm sure you're more than capable of fending off unwanted advances," she said primly.

Cara shrugged. "Yeah—no matter what form they take. Our mutual friend learned that the hard way when we first met."

"Oh?"

She recounted her time on Sorgan, starting with her first meeting, and subsequent fight, with Din, to training the villagers for their battle with the AT-ST, to shooting the bounty hunter who'd taken aim at the little green baby.

"Your timing, of being at the right place at the right time, was nothing short of miraculous."

Cara shrugged. "I was already angry, so having the opportunity to shoot something made my day a little brighter."

The Armorer huffed out a humorless laugh. "I felt similarly when a small squad of Imperials entered the Forge shortly after your party left. I made short work of them with my tools, and had quite a sense of satisfaction—at least for a time."

"Wonder what it says about us, that we take pleasure in killing?" Cara asked, smiling sadly.

The Armorer sighed. "I don't believe it's 'taking pleasure'—but more a sense of making sure justice is served, and wrongs are righted. You saved the life of an innocent child—and I lived another day to pay respects to the fallen members of my Tribe." They deserve that," she ended quietly.

Cara swallowed, not sure why she was getting choked up all of a sudden. "Yeah—they do. And the kid…..if I hadn't been there…," she trailed off, as the first tear slid down her cheek. _Stop it—what's wrong with you?_

"Thankfully, you'll never have to know what might have happened if you _hadn't_ been there. Instead, you can find peace in the fact that the Foundling lived—and his father has had the opportunity to become part of something much bigger than himself—to raise a child as a warrior."

Cara sighed shakily, wiping her eyes. "He's come a long way in taking care of the little guy since Sorgan. He was planning on leaving the kid there, so maybe he could have a normal childhood. There was even a widow who offered to raise him, along with her own daughter—but all that changed after the hunter tried to shoot him. Din thought it was too risky for either of them to stay after that, and they left almost immediately."

"I believe that was the wisest decision, under those circumstances. How did you end up joining with them again?"

"He came to me, looking for help, before coming back here to meet up with Karga. At first, I thought I should stay on Sorgan—it was pretty peaceful since the Klatoonians were gone—but when he told me the invaders here were Imperial, I knew I had to go with him." She sniffed, swiping a hand under her nose.

"It's not just 'fighting for the good guys' with me—it's _personal_. I'm from Alderaan, and they took _everything_ from me—my home, my family, my culture, my way of life—and if I use every last breath in my body trying to stop them, it _still_ won't be enough." Her voice broke on the last word, and she pulled her knees up in front of her on the chair, and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face as sobs wracked her body.

A few moments later, she was vaguely aware of the door opening, and shortly after, heard the scraping of metal on permacrete as the Armorer pulled out the second chair.

"I have it on authority, from a very discerning six-year-old, that I give the second-best hugs in our Tribe. I don't want to overstep, but…." The Armorer cut off as, in one swift movement, Cara had unwrapped her arms from her own knees, and had thrown them around her new friend's shoulders, burying her face there instead.

Cara allowed herself to simply be held, as she hadn't in years. The Armorer stroked her hair, the way her mother used to when she was little, which brought both a fresh batch of tears and a shaky sense of peace. She tried to calm herself, but it didn't work. As messy as all of this was, it was just going to have to play itself out.

Finally, just as the horizon was starting to turn pink, Cara sat up, wiping her wet eyes and wishing she had something for her nose. As if the Armorer could read her mind, she was handed a small square from her pocket, which Cara immediately made use of.

"Sorry—I didn't realize I was _that_ much of a wreck," she said, followed by another shaky breath.

"You've clearly needed that release for quite awhile," the Armorer replied. "There's no shame in it."

Cara sighed, frustrated with herself. "I thought I was _finally_ going to go a day on this planet _without_ having a meltdown—so much for that," she spat.

"You're being very hard on yourself. The presence of Imperials has brought up difficulties from the past—and to battle with them, to almost lose a comrade….."

"To _abandon_ him with a _droid_ , that I know he _hates_ , just because I can't…. _won't_ …..remove his helmet, because I know how much his Creed means to him, even though I don't understand how depriving a child who's been through so much, of the closest thing he has to a father, can be the Way to anything." Cara was crying again, and was surprised to find a comforting hand on her shoulder, despite her angry outburst.

"It hasn't always been like this for us," the Armorer said softly. "After the Purge, after losing so many and barely escaping with our lives, after patching together a Tribe comprised of the mourning remnants of several clans of Mandalore, we adopted many practices not part of our original Creed as means of survival. Trust me when I say you are not the first to experience frustration with not only their implementation, but the needfulness of such."

Cara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but it's not _my_ religion—I don't really have a right to complain about what your people do, as long as it doesn't affect me directly."

"But it _does_ affect you—because you care deeply for Din Djarin. And there's no shame in that, either."

Cara was almost glad of the fact that her face was already red and blotchy, because she was _definitely_ blushing. "Sun's gonna be up soon—I guess you should get going," she said, rising from her own seat.

"Yes, you're right—I'll gather my dishes." The Armorer stood, and Cara picked up her own things before following her inside.

"Just put everything in the sink—I'll get to them after I've had lunch, since I don't have to work until this afternoon." Cara paused. "You said there was more you needed to do at the Covert—is it something I could help with?"

The Armorer studied her silently for several seconds. "You can help by taking care of yourself. You need more sleep—and while I generally don't sleep at all during the day—I may have a bit of a nap myself when I return to the Covert."

Cara yawned. "At this point, it's almost like I don't have a choice." She led the way to the front door, then paused. "Be careful going home. You think of anything I can do to help, let me know—same for making another call.

"Perhaps I can come by a bit earlier next time. I'll even bring a meal to share."

"I would like that….thank you…..for everything," Cara said, giving her new friend a hug.

"No, thank _you_. My hope is that more members of our Tribe are out there—or it may be that there are only the Captain and his travel companions, Din Djarin, and myself. Either way, it is of utmost importance to communicate with those who _are_ left—and your willingness to help with that means a lot."

"You're welcome."

"Bryn."

"What?"

"Bryn. It's…..my name."

Cara smiled. "Bryn. I like it—it suits you."

"It was my grandmother's name, and I admired her greatly—so I shall take your approval as the highest of compliments."

Cara smirked. "Well, what do you know-I'm actually named after _both_ of my grandmothers. My mom's mother was Caralina, and my dad's was Synthia—so my parents combined it to make 'Carasynthia'. But if you ever call me that, I _will_ kill you!

"Why? It's a lovely name."

"It's so…..frilly, and complicated—and I'm anything but," she replied, making a face.

"You alone get to decide what you do with the name you've been given. I don't perceive yours as 'frilly and complicated'-but strong, and honorable. I do believe your grandmothers would be proud of the woman you've become."

Cara swallowed— _No, you are not going to cry again this morning!_ Still, her voice was strained when she spoke. "Thank you. And thank you for trusting me with _your_ name _._ "

"Din Djarin is not a man whose trust is easily earned—and yet, he has trusted you with his _life_ multiple times in the past few months. If _he_ can do that, _I_ can trust you with my name."

Cara smirked. "I'll admit, it would be more than a little awkward to say, 'hey, Armorer'" if I wanted to get your attention.

Bryn chuckled. "I agree. And, if others from the Tribe contact you, they will need to identify themselves. It wouldn't be fair if you knew _their_ names and not mine."

"So it's not forbidden for them to tell me their names?"

"No. And, now that I think about it, if you know, and use, my name with them, it might help quell any uneasiness in contacting someone outside the Tribe. It's been an adjustment for me, and I expect they'll be the same."

Cara studied her friend for a moment, then asked softly, "How long has it been since you've been above ground—before tonight?"

Bryn sighed. "Over ten years."

"Ten…wow! Are you _okay_?"

"I'm trying to be—and I really _must_ go now."

Cara opened the door, looking both ways down the walk. "Okay, I think you're clear—take care."

Bryn nodded, then stepped outside. Cara waited for her to walk out of sight before she closed the door, and headed for her bed.


	2. The Tribe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you So much for all the kudos and comments--your positive energy was a huge help in getting this chapter ready to publish!

* * *

“Okay, when we get inside, stay together, and _don’t touch anything._ ” Cara warned, giving Ry a _look_. It had taken over a week of negotiating to get them here, and she was _not_ going to let an overeager rookie mess things up.

“Can I take pictures? Of the TIE?”

She sighed, reminding herself of Din with the baby. “Yes—but make sure they’re good. We need all the details we can get, and we need clear shots so we can _see_ the details..”

“Are we ready? I _really_ don’t want to be here when the Nightwings come out.” Kitra spoke up, nervously twisting the curly end of her bright red braid.

“Tyr, do your thing,” Cara told the Pantoran man standing in front of the communicator display.

A Jawa appeared on the monitor, and the two conversed briefly before the door opened.

“Whoa,” Ry whispered as they entered the expansive cave that served as the Jawas’ storage facility. “Look at all this stuff!” he said as they followed the Jawa through a maze of everything from power converters to mangled speeder bikes to what looked like the ‘foot’ portion of a Walker, before they finally reached the TIE fighter.

“Wow—this really _is_ kind of impressive,” Kitra said. “Or, at least it was before half of it got melted.”

“Do you know what happened to the body of the man who was flying this thing?” Cara asked their Jawa guide. “There might not have been much _left_ of him, with this kind of damage, but evidence is evidence.”

Tyr listened to the Jawa’s response, then replied to Cara’s question. “He said there _was_ no body. The Imp got out alive, and was picked up by a Lambda class ship soon after these guys’ Sand Crawler arrived.”

Cara shook her head, a knot of panic forming in her stomach. “No, I was there when it crashed. I saw the flames— _no one_ could have survived that!”

The Jawa replied to her words in an adamant tone. “He says he was there—the guy cut himself out with some sort of black….light sword?” he asked the Jawa, who nodded in confirmation.

“That’s not even possible! Black is the _absence_ of light!” Cara argued, lifting her hair from the back of her neck, where she’d started to sweat despite the cave’s cool temperature.

“I dunno,” Ry spoke up from the opposite side of the TIE. “It definitely _looks_ like something cut this thing.” He was already snapping pictures with his datapad.

Cara huffed a sigh of frustration, and ducked beneath one of the damaged wings to move closer to the young Mirialan. As soon as she saw the opening in the damaged hull, all the fire that had been coursing through her veins turned to ice.

“This is bad. This is _really, really_ bad.”

* * *

By the time she took her meal break an hour later, the knot in her stomach was so tight she knew she’d never be able to keep anything down. She tried to focus on taking slow, deep breaths, and observing her surroundings, in order to ground herself.

The _swish_ of sand beneath her boots as she walked.

The cool evening wind that ruffled her hair.

The colors of the sunset peeking through the spaces between buildings.

The smell of cooked meat from the bazaar a few blocks away…..okay, maybe _that_ one was a mistake.

Thankfully, she’d reached her front door by that time, and entered the blissful dark of twilight inside her apartment. She quickly grabbed a mild pain reliever for the headache she’d developed, along with some icy cold water from the kitchen, and took several small sips before swallowing the pill.

Her next order of business was to call Din.

“Cara! This is a surprise….a nice one,” he said when he answered.

She gave him a sad smile. “Well, it’s not going to stay nice for long, I’m afraid.”

“What do you mean? Are you all right?” 

The concern in his tone warmed her heart, and she swallowed against a sudden lump in her throat. 

“I’ve been better. I found out something today that could…..complicate things for you and the kid. Where is he anyway?” she asked, _knowing_ he was safe, but still needing reassurance.

“Napping on the lower level—fell asleep on his blanket, propped against his stuffed tooka, so I just covered him up and left him on the floor.”

“Okay, good,” she said, exhaling slowly in an attempt to calm her racing heart.

“Cara, what _is_ it?”

“Moff Gideon is alive.”

She watched his relaxed posture instantly tense up. “What?! How is that even possible? We saw….” He trailed off, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that’s what _I_ said to the Jawa who told my team about it. He said Gideon got picked up by a ship after cutting himself out of the TIE with some sort of sword with a black _light_ blade—whatever _that_ means.”

“The Darksaber—of _course_ ,” Din growled. 

“You _know_ what it is?” Cara asked, surprised.

“It’s an ancient Mandalorian artifact, forged by an ancestor of my adoptive family. I don’t know all the history behind it—but I saw it wielded, as a means of uniting our often-warring people, about ten years ago. Unfortunately, that unity was short-lived. Within a year, the Imps had taken over—and Gideon had the Darksaber.”

He sighed. “The Armorer needs to be aware of this—and the Tribe needs to make some decisions regarding our future. I hate to ask you to be the bearer of bad news—but she needs to know as soon as possible.”

Cara gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Not a problem--I’m on break now, but there’s no way I can eat, so I’ll pay her a visit as soon as we disconnect.”

Din nodded. “Tell her I heard from Ana and Alec today, and they’re safe. I also heard from Kade and his family-- they’ve met up with Col and the Rooks, who haven’t contacted us because Sali had her baby a few weeks ago. Maybe that will….help soften the blow of the fact that the Tribe is still in danger.

“Ana, Alec, Kade, Col, Rooks, Sali, baby—got it,” she said, counting them off on her fingers.

“And….if it’s not too late for you, could we do a group call tonight, after your shift ends?

“I get off at 22:00—should be home by 22:30. Not sure I have the tech or the skills to do a multi-party call, though. I’ve only seen it done on military bases a couple times, and I was _definitely_ not the one who set everything up.”

“Don’t worry about that part—we’ve got techs in our group that are more than capable of handling it, even on personal equipment. All you have to do is let the Armorer know, and get her over there. I’ll take care of everything else.”

“By the way--you don’t have to call her ‘the Armorer’ anymore—she told me her name,” Cara smirked. 

“Oh—okay, then.” He paused. “Did she tell you anything else?”

She thought for a moment. “No—just that her name is Bryn, and she’s named after her grandmother. Speaking of which……what do you want me to call _you_ , since Gideon let the tooka out of the bag with _your_ name?”

He chuckled. “It’s fine for you to call me ‘Din’ when it’s just us and the kid, or if we happen to be around anyone from the Tribe—but as a bounty hunter, a sense of anonymity definitely worked in my favor.” He sighed. “It’s …an adjustment, to no longer be responsible for supporting them.”

Cara gave him an encouraging smile. “You know your next step—find out what you can about the baby and his people. You can worry about everything else later.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Same here.”

They sat in silence for a good half minute, each lost in their own thoughts, before Cara reluctantly broke it. “I guess I should head out--can you give me directions on how to get through the tunnels? Dragging _your_ injured self around made the details a little fuzzy on my end,” she smirked.

“Sure,” he said. “Your best bet is to go through the bazaar—and make sure you take a light with you.” He gave her a basic set of instructions, then said, quieter, “Cara?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being an ally. Our people—we’ve had a lot of fighting among ourselves—but we’ve also faced a lot of persecution from outsiders—and I don’t just mean the Empire. The fact that you’re willing to befriend us—to help when you’re under no obligation--that means a lot.”

“Ugh, stop, you’re gonna make me cry,” she mumbled, pressing her fingers to the corners of her eyes.

“I miss you. Be careful out there.” Din said, barely above a whisper.

She smiled softly. “I miss you, too,” she said, ending the call.

* * *

After her shift ended that evening, Cara hurried home, eating the nerf and pickled vegetable wrap she’d picked up at the bazaar on the way, in hopes of grabbing a quick shower before the call came through.

Thankfully, time was on her side, and she also had a chance to get a load of laundry started before she heard the signal from the other room. She dashed into her bedroom and turned on the display.

“Hey, are you Cara Dune?” The boy inside the ship on her display was tall, and built like a rock wall, but he still sounded like a kid. She guessed him to be around twelve or thirteen years old.

“I am.”  
  


“Okay, good. I’m Jerem, and I’m gonna connect you to the others—two ships and a house. Once I’ve got them on my end, I’ll need you to tell me if you can see and hear them on yours, okay?”

Cara smiled, feeling herself relax a bit. “Sure.”

“All right, I’m gonna put my uncle on first, since you know him.”

“Wait, what? Your uncle?”

“Yeah, Din Viz..I mean, Djarin.”

“Din is your _uncle_? How……?”

“My _b_ uir—I mean, my dad, is his adopted big brother.”

“Wow—I did _not_ know….. _any_ of that. Wait, hold on, gotta get the door,” Cara said, running to the front room.

“Hey Bryn, that you?” she called through the door. _Karga’s really gotta get my door cam fixed_.

“Yes.”

The door slid open. “You’ve got good timing—call came through maybe two minutes ago, and I’m the first one on. And Din has a _nephew_ —which, I mean, you already knew that, but…..wow.”

“Hello Jerem,” Bryn said as they entered the bedroom. “How are you?”

“Hey _Buir_ , I’m good. I figured out something even Jem and _Malik_ couldn’t find in the system!”

“I’m so proud of you, _ad’ika_ —your hard work and hours of study have paid off,” she said, pride evident in her voice.

“I’ve missed you—talking’s good, but it still feels like it’s been a long time.”

“I’ve missed you too, _cyar’ika_. It’s been _too_ long, hasn’t it?” Cara could hear the love and longing in her voice. _Who is this kid?_

“I’ve missed her more,” a large man said as he entered the ship’s cockpit. His build was very similar to the boy’s, and Cara would bet her boots they were father and son.

“As you should,” Bryn said primly—but Cara could hear an undertone of something else there.

“And I take it you’re Cara?”

She smiled. “I am—and you are…..”

“Paz Vizsla. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from my brother—and my amazing wife right there next to you.” 

Cara turned to look at Bryn. “What the……you’re _married_? And have a _kid_?”

“No—I have eight,” Bryn said, trying to sound nonchalant, but Cara could hear a hint of humor in her voice.

“Okay, _eight_ kids--wow!” She smirked. “Guess that explains the two big couches and the table with all those chairs in your apartment.”

Bryn laughed. “Yes. Though I’m interested to hear your theories as to why a supposedly single, childless woman would inhabit such a spacious living area alone.”

Cara shrugged, her arms wide. “I don’t know! You’re the Tribe leader—I thought maybe you had meetings there. Or maybe you all lived communally?”

Paz laughed. “Pretty sure ten people in an apartment, even with three bedrooms and refreshers, _counts_ as living communally!”

Cara turned to Bryn. “And were you ever going to _tell_ me about this secret family?” she teased.

“The look on your face when you figured it out was priceless—I’m _very_ glad I didn’t spoil the surprise,” she said smugly.

Cara laughed. “Well, you definitely succeeded in surprising me!” A thought occurred to her. “And I'm guessing _he’s_ the Captain you fell asleep talking to that night—and have talked to _waaaay_ more than is professionally necessary since?” she smirked.

“She comes by it….” Paz said, but cut off when Din’s image popped up on the display.

“Hey, _Ba’vodu_ , can you hear me?” Jerem asked. 

“Yes.” Din replied. “Sorry about the delay--I was putting the baby down.”

“Awww, I was hoping I’d get to see him,” Cara replied, making a sad face. “Did he have a good day?”

“He did—played with his toys, pushed some buttons, ate three servings of noodles for lunch—you know, typical toddler stuff.”

“Sounds like Kyri—except she _threw_ toys, pushed _my_ buttons, and refused to eat _anything_ at mealtimes—but then wanted _snacks_ all day.” Paz said, shaking his head. “Hopefully tomorrow will be better.”

“She’s _two_ —that’s what they do—you _know_ this,” Bryn teased.

“She’s _three_ now—you know _that_. We called you last week on her birthday,” Paz returned playfully.

“How did I miss _that_?” Cara asked, more to herself than anyone.

“Okay, I think we’ve got the others now,” Jerem said. A moment later, another ship appeared, as well as a room with a group of fifteen or twenty people, who were gathered in front of the display in a semicircle. “Can you all hear me?”

“Good on our end,” a man with a richly accented voice said from the third ship, which looked larger and newer than both Din’s and Paz’s.

“Loud and clear!” a young teen girl spoke from the center of the large group.

“Jerem, can you go get your sisters? I don’t want to call them and wake the little ones,” Paz asked.

The boy nodded, and moved to the back of the ship. A few moments later, two teenage girls entered the cockpit, one holding a whimpering child wrapped in a hooded blanket, while the other plopped down in the seat behind her father, with Jerem next to her.

“Here he is Ky,” the taller girl crooned as she handed the toddler to Paz. She then took the seat beside him. The big man leaned down to touch his forehead to the little girl’s as he wrapped his tree trunk arms around her. She snuggled into his lap, and popped her thumb in her mouth.

“I think that’s everyone twelve and older—let’s get started, shall we?” Bryn requested as she entered the code for her datapad.

“First of all, I would like to thank Din for contacting all of you about this meeting, and Malik, Jema, Jerem, and Alys for enabling us to connect in this way. While we all look forward to the day when we can once again meet together in person, just seeing that each of you are safe is…..such a relief.” Bryn’s voice cracked on the final word, and she cleared her throat before continuing.

“I would also like to like to introduce you to Cara Dune, a former Shock Trooper and a friend of Din’s. She fought with him against the Imperials here on Nevarro, and is now working as an Enforcer. She has quickly become a friend of mine as well, and is willing to help us as needed.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet all of you,” Cara said, waving and giving them a smile that flashed her dimples.

The others replied with a scattered chorus of greetings, and she felt the knot of nerves and tension in her midsection relax a bit more.

Bryn continued. “Unfortunately, there are many who did not survive--so at the conclusion of our discussion, we will rise and recite the Remembrance in their memory.

She took a slow, deep breath. “That being said, we have also had some recent additions to our Tribe that are worth celebrating. Col, would you like to go first?”

A man in a dark gray and gold helmet, and a simple gray shirt, stood from the edge of the semicircle. “This is our Adya—girl number three,” he said proudly, holding up a newborn with dark hair that stuck out from the front of her pale yellow swaddling. “She was born the night after we left Nevarro, so she’s almost three weeks old. Nurses like a champ, and sleeps four hours between feedings—which is really good for Sali and I,” he chuckled.

“I’m sure she’ll grow up to be a strong warrior, as will her older sisters,” Bryn said warmly. “Din?”  
  


“Uh, sure……..I earned my sigil, the Mudhorn, and if I can’t find his own people, am going to adopt a Foundling toddler—the one I rescued from the Imps the night you helped me fight the Guild.”

“Foundlings are the future—this is The Way,” Bryn said.

“This is The Way,” the others chorused.

“Bryn also gave me my own clan—Clan Djarin is now part of House Vizsla.”

“This is The Way,” Bryn repeated.

“This is The Way.”

Bryn sighed. “Next, I must share with you the reason for the urgency of this call. Cara, will you tell them what you told me earlier?”

Cara took a deep breath, then shared what she’d learned about Gideon and the Darksaber. Her announcement was met with a chorus of exclamations in both Basic and Mando’a. Bryn tried to get their attention twice before Cara put her fingers to her lips and let out a loud whistle.

“Thank you,” Bryn said primly. “Ana, did you have something to say?”

The woman on the third ship stood and said, “As angry as we _all_ are about Gideon and the Darksaber, I have a bigger concern with the scenario Cara shared. The fact that another ship was close enough to pick him up so quickly after his crash……I’ve got a bad feeling about that. Do we have any idea what kind of time frame we’re looking at with that?”

Din raised his hand slightly. “I left Nevarro about an hour after the crash, and didn’t see anything incoming.”

“What about larger crafts—like Star Destroyers?” Paz asked.

“None of those, either—but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there.”

Ana sighed. “We need to know for sure. Alec and I are already heading in that direction, and don’t have our kids with us—we can do some investigating and report back.”

“I….am hesitant in following through on that, for a number of reasons—but you are correct in that the two of you are the best candidates for the job. The fact that your husband is our best pilot, hands down, is also reassuring. Thus, you have my blessing. But be _very, very_ careful!”

“Thank you,” Alec nodded. “We may have to go comms silent, but we’ll report in as soon as we can.”

“Very well. Paz, will you share your findings now?”

“Of course. As you all know, my kids and I left Nevarro a few days after the skirmish with the Guild, in search of possible places to relocate the Tribe. Over the past four months, we’ve visited a number of planets throughout the galaxy, with varying climates, topographies, and suitability, considering the fact that we have a larger family with children ranging from a toddler to teenagers. We’ve even been able to locate other remnants of our people.”

Long story short, based on all these considerations, we’ve narrowed it down to five possible locations—two of which are established Mandalorian settlements that were open to the prospect of adding to their numbers. Jerem has compiled our findings into several graphics, and is sending them to you as we speak.”

“Thank you, Paz—your willingness to do this, _especially_ with eight children on a small ship, is commendable.”

“You’re welcome—can we come home now?” he asked, earning a chorus of chuckles and snarky comments from the group at large.

“Yes, _cyar’ika_ , you may,” she replied, and Cara could hear the love in her friend’s voice. “Col?”

The man with the baby stood again. “My family plans to stay where we are for a couple of months, if possible. My sister and her husband have connections that have put us up in a safe house, so that Sali can recover fully without having to travel. We're in a thick forest, and can’t be seen by passing ships, so all the kids are having a great time running around and climbing trees--especially since some of them have never been outside the Covert before.”

“How many children do you have who are not with their own parents?” Bryn asked.

“Twenty-eight,” another man said, standing as Col sat down.

“Counting ours?” Ana asked him.

“Yes, sorry for the confusion. There are only twenty- _one_ whose parents are unaccounted for.”

“Are your accommodations sufficient for so many?” Bryn inquired.

“The house here is massive, and has been repurposed as lodging for large gatherings. Col’s parents have furnished us with food and supplies—and _because_ we have so many unaccompanied children, a safe place where they _don’t_ have to live on a ship is ideal—especially in light of the fact that some of them have likely lost their parents.” He added, softly, “Nature was a great comfort to me when I lost mine as a child.” The woman to his left linked her fingers with his, and gave his hand a squeeze.

Bryn nodded. “Some names included in the Remembrance _will_ be familiar to some of them, unfortunately. But, there are still several members of the Tribe who are completely unaccounted for—meaning, there was either no trace of them left behind—or their armor was simply discarded.”

“Will the latter be considered _dar’manda_ now, since they are no longer in compliance with The Way?” a tall woman in purple and yellow armor asked. “If so, what implications will that have if, say, their children got on Kade’s ship, but they stayed back to fight—but then left their armor, for whatever reason?”

Bryn sighed. “That……is a very difficult question, with multiple points to consider, even outside The Way as we currently live it. It’s something to think about, but I don’t believe it’s anything with which we should concern ourselves unless an actual incidence arises. Even then, it would be done on a case-by-case basis, since the circumstances under which they left would need to be examined. That being said, I will _not_ keep _any_ children with loving parents from their own families, no matter their status within the Tribe—even if it means some, or all of them, end up leaving.”

“I agree with you wholeheartedly, but wanted confirmation. I expect that once some of them realize their parents are not among the confirmed dead, but are _also_ not among those whose whereabouts are known, that there will be questions as to their place within the Tribe. This could especially become a concern to them as those whose parents we _know_ to be dead are considered for adoption.”

“I appreciate your concern and desire to be proactive, Dara—your desire to heal goes far beyond your medical training, and will be a great asset to these children in the difficult weeks and months ahe….,” Bryn stifled a yawn. “I take it you and your family also planning to stay put?”

“Yes—for all the reasons already mentioned, as well as the fact that I’ll need to keep an eye on Sali and the baby. Until we make a decision on whether we’ll be returning to Nevarro or not, which I know _I’m_ struggling with from a mental health standpoint, I think that giving all of us a sense of stability is our best bet.”

“Thank you—I agree,” Bryn responded. “Reza, I know you don’t have your own ship—but I’m guessing you feel the same?”

“Yes—this has been rough on my two little ones. All the progress they’ve made since we lost my brother is gone now—they’re back to screaming when I go to the ‘fresher, and sleeping almost on top of me at night. Even if I had a ship, I wouldn’t leave. They need support….and so do I.” Dara wrapped her arm around her petite friend’s shoulders, and the shorter woman leaned into her.

After the two of them sat down, Bryn stood. “I would like to thank all of you for everything you’ve done to support each other, including the children of the Tribe, over these past difficult weeks. I know many tears have been shed, by children and adults alike, and that these events have reopened wounds we had perhaps considered healed. I also know our people are resilient, and that we _will_ endure this trial as we have so many in the past.”

She looked down at her datapad, then addressed the group again. “There are still a number of things we need to consider, such as where we will go if we choose to leave Nevarro, and when and how that will happen. I propose that we consider the information we’ve been given so far, including that which Jerem has sent to each of you, and convene again in a week’s time. Ana, Alec, do you think that will be sufficient to gather the intel you seek?”

“Should be,” Alec said, ending in a yawn. “Sorry, I’m old—I can’t party late like I once did.”

“I hear ya,” Paz seconded, also yawning. “You know it’s late when you’ve got two _teenagers_ asleep, and one who’s nodding off. You ready to wrap this up, _ner kar’ta_?”

“Yes— _very_ much so.” She picked up her datapad and said, “Please rise for the Remembrance.”

The entire party stood, some nudging those in their groups who’d fallen asleep. Cara joined them out of respect, though she was unsure what was about to happen. Thankfully, Bryn took a moment to explain.

“The Remembrance is an opportunity to recognize those who are no longer with us. We will begin by reciting the words which translate to, ‘ _I’m still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.’_ I will then read a list of those who perished in the recent attack. Afterward, we will conclude by remaining silent for one additional minute, in which you may silently add the names of others who have departed this world.”

She took a deep breath, then led the Tribe in reciting, “ _Ni su’cuyi, gar kyr’adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum_.”

Cara wasn’t sure where to look as Bryn read the names on her list. Despite the helmets blocking their actual faces, it didn’t seem right to look at the others, so she finally ended up studying patterns in the metallic swirls on the desk’s surface. Finally, after all thirty-seven names had been read, Bryn put down the datapad, and stood in a position similar to parade rest.

The thought of her Rebellion days made Cara think of her _own_ lost comrades, and then her family and friends from Alderaan. By the time they’d been silent for thirty seconds, the patterns on the desk were blurring, and she was biting her lip to keep her chin from quivering. _Wish I had a helmet right about now._

At the end of the minute, Bryn gave a brief nod. A beautiful female voice began singing, and the others joined in, forming a four-part harmony. Cara felt a warmth swell within her chest as the tears finally fell—and judging by how some of the voices wavered, she suspected she wasn’t the only one.

When the final note had faded into oblivion, Bryn spoke again, her voice strained and higher than usual. “I encourage all of you to continue reciting the Remembrance daily, and include even your youngest children. It is important that they learn, and live, the traditions of Mandalore, and prepare for the day when they will swear the Creed, and keep the tenets of the Resol’nare. These things will carry all of us through the coming days of uncertainty, as we prepare to take our next steps, whatever they may be. This is The Way.”

“This is The Way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.....there's a lot going on here. Lots of new faces (or helmets, haha).....and a familiar one as a tired dad who just wants to go home to his wife and get his kids off that dang ship (even though he loves the heck out of them) 😂 
> 
> Also, Din's not quite as much of a loner as we've seen on the show--which kinda makes that one scene in S1E3 more heartbreaking, considering that it's his own brother who confronted him--but they're good now. I'm actually working on a oneshot of the aftermath of that from Paz's point of view that will tie in with what we've seen here, that may end up in a series of "deleted scenes" (especially since some of them will be introduced after the fact, because spoilers!)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this Mandalorian Zoom meeting (yay for art imitating life!)--next chapter will finally have some stuff from Din's point of view--as well as a cameo from one of my favorite characters from the SW movies😊
> 
> Reviews are hanging out with family and friends--even if it's virtually!


	3. The Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the kudos and comments--they make me So incredibly happy!

The knot in Din’s stomach grew as the ancient stones of the castle below came into view. He looked back to his right, where the Foundling was dozing in his crate, and felt his heart clench. He’d never expected to become so attached to the little guy—and from the sparse information he’d been able to find on the Jedi, the most disturbing point was the fact that even _infants_ were taken from their families to train at the Jedi temple.

_It’s just a meeting—with someone you’ve known for years. A trusted source who seems to know a lot about….. everything_ , he told himself. Besides, it _was_ customary for _any_ Mandalorian to do everything possible to locate existing family members, before officially adopting a Foundling.

That being said, the process was _much_ simpler if it took place on the same planet where the child had been Found, as had been the case with Paz and his two little ones on Nevarro. Add in the mysterious powers the little green guy possessed, and the situation was almost _overwhelming_ in its scope. _One step at a time, Djarin. Calm down—you know the kid can pick up on your distress_.

After the ship was shut down, he reached over to take the baby from his container. Din felt another pang at the thought of Kuill, and the fact that the pram he’d worked so hard on had been destroyed in the battle with Gideon’s forces. But he couldn’t focus on that now, either—he had to keep his mind on the task at hand.

The baby whined, then snuggled into Din’s chest as he settled into his makeshift _birikad_. He wasn’t sure what kind of company they might come across in this place, so he’d decided that wearing the little one, and concealing him from curious eyes, would simplify….pretty much everything.

He sighed as he opened the hatch, patting the baby on the back more as a means to comfort _himself_. “All right, _ad’ika,_ let’s get this over with.”

Once inside, Din took a seat at a small out-of-the way table, facing the door in case trouble showed up. The baby slept on—which kept him from getting into something he shouldn’t, a constant concern both on and off the ship. It had been a long journey, and Din’s anguish over losing nearly _forty_ members of the Tribe, had robbed him of sleep the night before. It was still early in the day, so the cantina wasn’t busy, and the ambient noise around him made it very hard to stay……”

“Mando, it’s good to see that _handsome_ face of yours again!” Maz Kanata spoke from his left, causing Din to startle. His hand automatically went for his blaster, until he processed the fact that there was no threat, just an old friend.

“Maz, how are you?” He chose to stay seated, so their heights would be more evenly matched, but offered his right hand, which she squeezed tightly.

“Well enough—though your message _was_ a bit of a surprise. We haven’t seen you around these parts in quite awhile.”

Din sighed. “I’ve had some…..changes in my life recently, and….”

“ _Changes_? What _kind_ of changes?” There was something in Maz’s tone, and the teasing smile on her face, that Din was….unsure of.

He pulled back his cape to reveal the still-sleeping baby. “He’s a Foundling.”

Maz’s voice grew soft, barely above a whisper. “Oh my dear—that is _not_ what I was expecting! I see we have _much_ to discuss. Come with me.”

He stood and followed her to a small office. Once inside, she motioned for him to sit in one of a pair of upholstered chairs as she took the other. “Now, let’s talk. _How_ did you come across this _absolutely adorable_ little creature?”

Din gave her a brief rundown of all he and the kid had been through over the past few months. He knew Maz to be a decent, trustworthy listener—though he _also_ knew she’d put in her two credits’ worth once he was done.

Halfway through his retelling, the baby woke up, and social little thing that he was, immediately reached out for Maz. She was more than happy to oblige in holding him.

As Din’s tale concluded, she stroked the top of the little green head, her expression sympathetic. “You’ve been through a lot in your few years, haven’t you?”

The little one’s ears drooped, and he made a sad sound, reaching for Din to take him again.

“Yes, but you _clearly_ have someone who cares for you now, and I know he’ll continue to do so as long as he can,” she whispered, handing the baby back. “But, if _you_ are like the others of your species of whom I’ve heard, you’ll be around for _quite_ awhile!”

Din cleared his throat, but his voice was still hoarse when he spoke. “These others—how long did they live?”

“Master Yoda lived to be around nine hundred, if I remember correctly.”

Din exhaled, trying to wrap his head around the fact that this tiny creature, already older than _he_ was, could live nine _very_ optimistic human lifetimes. With all his past injuries, let alone whatever future calamities might come upon him or his people, he was anything _but_ optimistic that he would make it a full hundred years.

“Do you know where I might find these Jedi? The research I’ve been able to do, when I’m not flying a ship or chasing a toddler, has been limited….and I’m not sure how much of what I _have_ found is true.”

She studied the baby for a moment, watching how he snuggled under the edge of Din’s cape. “I’ve not heard of one of _his_ species since the death of Master Yoda. That being said, I would like to clarify a few points before we go any further.”

“Sure.”

“First of all, the Jedi were an _order_ , not a species—much like your own people.”

“Not a race, but a creed.”

She smiled. “Yes. The Order trained beings from _many_ species, with powers such as you’ve described as their common thread. However, the possession of Force sensitivity does _not_ make one a Jedi.”

Din tilted his head and studied her. “I’m….not sure I understand.”

Maz smiled. She reached out with her left hand, and before Din could even blink, a tooka figurine floated from the bookshelf next to her chair and into to her right hand. The baby squealed with delight, and clapped his hands—something he’d learned from the kids back on Sorgan.

“You…..you’re……”

“I am no Jedi….but I know the Force.” She floated the object toward the baby, who grabbed it, and immediately moved it toward his mouth. “No, my little friend, I don’t think you’ll like the taste of dust.” She gently removed the object from his grasp, then crossed behind the desk in front of them. “Can you send it back to me?”

She cupped her hands in front of her, and was soon rewarded with the tooka. “He’s young for his species, but he’s _quite_ strong in the Force.”

“What does that mean…..the Force?”

“The Force is an energy field that binds the galaxy together, existing in and between all things, living and non. However, only beings classified as ‘Force-sensitive’ can feel and harness its power—which can be used for good _or_ evil, depending on the intention of the user.”

Din sighed. “That’s my concern; he’s used his powers for _both_. On one hand, he tried to _choke_ my friend. On the other, I’m concerned that he’s hurting himself when he uses those _same_ powers to heal or protect those around him.”

Maz frowned. “It seems that, after seeing your experience with that _horrible_ crew, he was trying to _protect_ you when he attacked your friend.”

Din’s eyebrows shot up beneath his helmet. “What makes you say that?”

“Because when you first met your lovely Cara, he stood idly by, calmly sipping soup, as the two of you _pounded_ on each other—which had a _much_ greater potential for injury on your part than a simple arm wrestling match. He knew the two of you had a friendly connection on Sorgan—but, after seeing that the _others_ you allowed on your ship tried to _harm_ you, his protective instincts kicked in when he perceived you to be in danger.” She floated the tooka back into the baby’s waiting hands. “I imagine your bond with him had also strengthened during the interim, which would make him even _more_ attentive to potential threats.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Din replied. “That’s…..something to think about. It also makes me wonder how _he_ would handle it now if we were separated long-term….if I had to give him up.”

“You don’t want to.” It wasn’t a question.

He sighed. “No. If there’s _any_ possible way it can be in his best interest, I…..want to adopt him. I want him as my son.” It was the first time he’d said the last part out loud, and the thought, the possibility, brought a warmth to his chest and a tightness to his throat. “But….from the research I’ve done, I know that in the past, the Jedi took children from their families to train at a young age—and they stayed at the temple throughout their lives.”

Maz studied Din as the baby floated the tooka back into her open hands. “Very true—but the old Order is no more. There _is_ talk of one who is trying to resurrect it, but I’m not sure what his policies on such things would be.

“That being said……I believe _this_ little one is a special case, for many reasons. With your permission, I’d like to contact a trusted friend, who I know to have a more…..balanced approach to the Force.”

“How so? Din asked.

“She trained with the Jedi in her youth, but sees the error in some of their past ways. She’s also one of the most compassionate beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.” Maz smiled brightly. “If _anyone_ can help you find a solution that will keep _all_ parties safe and happy, it’s her.”

Din exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “You have my permission. But…..I have another concern.”

“What is it, sweetheart?” Her tone was warm and kind, and made Din miss both his birth and adoptive mothers.

“I’ve heard that the Jedi have a long history of conflict with the people of Mandalore. Is that….something I would need to worry about?”

Maz laughed. “That may have been the case in the distant past—but ten, maybe twelve years ago, my contact was here…and met up with one of your own.

“Really?”

“Both came in wearing cloaks—but eyes that beautiful are _not_ easily concealed. So, I let them catch up in here, away from potential suitors—and the possibility of a brawl, should some idiot decide to get in over his head.”

She chuckled. “They asked me to join them, and it was _truly_ delightful. We drank meiloorun fizzpop, ate cheese friztle fries, and had the _best_ time until well after midnight. Made me feel about three hundred again!”

“That’s…..very interesting.”

This time she floated a small package of dried fruit to the baby, which Din opened for him. “Apparently they fought together during the Siege of Mandalore—which was _shocking_ to me, because I thought them both to be _much_ too young to have been of fighting age at that time.

Din took a minute to process that. “So you’re saying….the Jedi fought _with_ us?”

“Yes. The Clone armies fought under the leadership of the Jedi—and though she’d left the Order by that time, my friend accompanied her former unit to answer Mandalore’s call for aid.” The smile fell from Maz’s face. “That was shortly before the Jedi Purge, in which the Clones turned on the leaders, killing them without any thought or control of their own. My young friend only escaped with _her_ life due to quick thinking.”

“That must’ve been…..a shock, to say the least.”

“Oh, it was _terrible_. Though I wasn’t there, and never trained as a Jedi, I felt their deaths through the Force, and it was heartbreaking.” She sighed. “But, it was a long time ago—and _this_ little one is getting hungry, despite his snack. Would you like for me to bring a hot meal for the two of you?”

* * *

“Okay, now press _this_ button,” Din said, guiding the little green finger to the control panel in order to activate the holocall system.

“Oooooo!” the baby said, clapping his hands when the button lit up.

_Yeah, that’s how I feel about calling her, too, kid._

“Hey boys, how’d it go?” Cara answered, stifling a yawn. She wore a bold blue tunic, and her dark hair was still slightly damp from the shower.

“Ba!” the baby said, waving.

Her face lit up as she waved back. “Hi, sweetie—I’m gonna guess you made at least _one_ new friend today?”

He answered with a soliloquy of babble and sound effects that made her eyes crinkle and her dimples pop. In Mandalorian culture, attractiveness was largely defined by characteristics such as bravery and fighting ability—but Din couldn’t help noticing she was beautiful in other ways as well.

“Translation?” she asked Din with a laugh, once the baby was quiet, and had started sucking on his Mythosaur pendant.

“My contact was…..definitely charmed by him,” he said, smiling beneath his helmet.

“So….. _good_ news?”

“Still too early to tell for sure—but I _think_ so. Maz is Force sensitive herself—and knows someone who trained with the Jedi that might be able to help us.”

“Will he be able to _stay_ with you?” Din could hear the anxiousness in her voice, and knew she was just as reluctant as _he_ was to let the little guy go.

“She said it _could_ be a possibility—that her contact might be willing to work with us on that.”

“Possibilities are _good_!” Cara smiled encouragingly, and Din felt his heart flip-flop. “So…..what will you do until hear from her?”

“I’m….not sure. I really don’t feel it’s wise to meet up with the Tribe, at least not for the time being. If they end up leaving Nevarro, a possibility even if the Imps _aren’t_ hanging around in nearby space, the _last_ thing I want to do is draw attention to them by taking the kid wherever they end up.”

“Good point,” she replied with a shrug. “Any other possible leads?”

Din considered what he’d learned, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Actually….there is. Maz told me that her Jedi contact fought in the Siege of Mandalore, with a Clone unit….and now that I think about it, I know someone who might have useful information. Maybe even _two_ someones.”

“From the Tribe?”

“Yes.”

“I take it they’re some of the ones from last night?”

“Ana and Alec—the ones going to check for Star Destroyers. I won’t call them, because I know they’re trying to avoid detection—but when I hear from them again, I’ll see what I can find out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So good news—this is actually the first part of a massive 29-page chapter that I decided to split, because there’s some plotty stuff that I didn’t want to get lost in all the Caradin cuteness (some of it bittersweet) that’s coming up in the next chapter—which is done and will be posted soon :D
> 
> I have absolutely adored Maz since I first saw “The Force Awakens”, and when I was trying to figure out how Din could find information on his little green friend, I thought, “Who better than a Force sensitive pirate queen who’s traveled all over the galaxy?” Also, she knows people……and eats cheese fries with them, apparently ;)
> 
> “Your lovely Cara”—she knows what’s up with our boy!
> 
> Reviews are fritzle fries (and they’re in the Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook, so you can make them yourself—they look amaaaaaazing!)


	4. The Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for your kudos and comments—and even to those who just read and don’t do either—you’re still appreciated! Here’s what was originally the second part of Chapter 3—hope you enjoy!

The sound of squeaky snores drew Din’s attention to the baby, who’d decided to take his afternoon nap a bit early. He touched his forehead to the little one’s, then tucked him into his crate.

Cara smiled softly. “Guess your visit tired him out, huh?”

“Yes. Maz was kind enough to comp both of us a meal before we left. We’re not used to eating a big lunch, so we’re both sort of in a food coma.”

She smirked. “Well, if you want to join him for naptime, be my guest. I’m meeting Bryn in an hour, but I guess I can _always_ fold laundry to pass the time,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“No, we can keep talking—and I’ll spare you the misery.”

She grinned. “I actually don’t mind it—I _like_ to keep my things neat…..unlike _someone_ , who just dumps his armor as soon as he sets foot on the ship!” she teased.

“That was _one_ time—and my cooling system was down! You don’t know how close I was to passing out!” he protested, though he was grinning like an idiot beneath his helmet.

“Suuuuure! Next you’ll tell me you leave your _dishes_ in the sink because you’re afraid of bubbles, ya big puffball!”

“Stop trying to be cute, Dune,” he grumbled.

“ _Trying_? To be _cute_? Ha! I grew up as the baby sister of _four_ older brothers. I’m not just _cute_ —I’m downright _adorable_!” she replied, her tone and grin both sassy.

He scoffed. “Only _four_ older brothers? I had _five_ —plus _six_ older sisters!”

Cara’s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. “You came from a family with _twelve_ kids?!”

Din laughed. “Half of us were adopted….but yeah.”

She shrugged, then separated her hair on the side and started braiding it. “Okay, you win that one. At least I _know_ I can kick your tin can to Wild Space in hand to hand!”

“Hey, you took me _completely_ by surprise, attacking from above like that! And then the _kid_ distracted me with his soup slurping, or I _would’ve_ gotten the upper hand.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, buddy.” Her expression changed, and her dimples seemed even more prominent. “But…at least _I_ got some soup out of it, too. You really know how to show a girl a good time,” she said with a wink.

This time, the blush under Din’s helmet spread to his chest and down his arms, so that even his fingertips were tingly. “Next time, _I’ll_ win—and _you’ll_ be the one buying soup.”

“I’ll do you one better—you beat me, I’ll _cook_ for you.”

“Since when do _you_ cook?”

Cara rolled her eyes. “Since always! Just because you’ve never _seen_ me cook doesn’t mean I _can’t_! And I’m _good_ at it! My Alderaan Stew is even better than my _dad’s_ was _,_ and he won the local stew cook-off _eighteen_ years in a row!”

“Alderaan Stew, huh?”

“Yeah! And if _I_ win, you should make me tinga…..you know, the hot stuff.”

Din chuckled. “ _Tiingilar_? How do you know about _that_ _?"_

She gave him another sassy smile. "Your sister-in-law just _happens_ to be making it for our dinner tonight. I fed her breakfast the first time she came over to make a call, and she promised to make a meal for _me—_ but I’m going over there, so she doesn’t have to haul everything up the four flights of stairs between the Covert and my apartment.

“Do you know if she’s been out any, aside from coming to make calls?”

Cara shook her head. “She hasn’t—but she told me last night that she needs to get outside her comfort zone—so we’re going to the bazaar to get all the ingredients for tonight, maybe swing by the bakery for a treat—normal things that people who _haven’t_ lived underground for the past ten years do.”

“Good.” Din sighed. “I worry about her, down there alone. Not because she can’t handle herself—because she’s a _beast_ in _every_ form of combat--but because it _wears_ on you after awhile. Add in the circumstances of _why_ she’s alone….”

“Yeah.” Cara smiled sadly. “Last night, as soon as the call ended, she just......fell apart—and I wondered how many times, since all of this has gone down, that it’s just _hit_ her like that--and she's just had to deal with it on her own?”

“A lot, I would imagine. I…..think she might partially blame herself, since the Tribe stayed put after the conflict with the Guild, instead of leaving right away.” He swallowed. “And being separated right now….is _hard_ , on the entire Tribe. After the Purge, we were _all_ a wreck…..for _weeks_ —even though we kept pressing on, because that’s what we do. We implemented the helmet rule pretty quickly, for other reasons, but we still had each other close by—and she had Paz.”

“Can I….ask you something?” Her voice was hesitant, but she quickly added, “And if you’re not comfortable answering, or I’m out of line, that’s fine—just let me know. I’m not trying to be nosy, I just want to understand.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay, sure.”

“So…..you haven’t _always_ worn helmets all the time, right?”

Din shook his head. “No, that’s new for most of the Tribe. There are a few of us who _did_ because we were part of the Fighting Corps—which was basically special ops for our……group. Everyone else could, and did, remove theirs whenever they wanted.”

“So….how does that work? I know your niece wasn’t wearing one last night—but she’s still little. Do parents get to see their kids’ faces after they get older? And what about couples--is kissing okay?"

Din blushed again--something about _Cara_ talking about _kissing_ unnerved him. “Direct immediate family can remove their helmets with each other as long as no one else is around, like in their home, or in Paz’s case recently, their ship.”

“So what exactly defines ‘immediate family’?”

“Parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, and children—but not in-laws or cousins, or _their_ kids."

Cara seemed to think on that for a few moments. "Okay, with kids--how old are they when they start wearing armor?

"Little kids, like Kyri, usually stay in the residential section of the Covert until they start wearing lightweight training helmets at three--then they wear them under the same guidelines as adults and older kids. Because she left home while she was still two, she doesn't even _have_ a helmet yet--but I'm sure it'll be one of the first things Bryn does once she gets back home.

Kids start training and preparing to swear the Creed at eight, and receive their first armor at thirteen--which is the age _I_ was when I joined the Fighting Corps. We're considered full adults at eighteen, after additional training and instruction."

“So since your parents, and I'm assuming all your siblings except for Paz, are dead, that means he's the only one from the Tribe who's seen your face since you were…..about Jerem's age?”

“No, actually. I told IG-11 that no living thing had seen my face since I swore the Creed, and I meant it.” He chuckled. “It would have been acceptable for my parents or siblings to see me, but I was a bit…..overzealous. If regulations for the _group_ helped us to overcome our weaknesses and become more disciplined, wouldn’t _self-regulation_ do that on an even _deeper_ level?”

Cara laughed. “Even _I_ wasn’t that hardcore as a new recruit! So how long were you in the Corps?”

“I stayed in for ten years before I left to hunt bounties full-time. Keeping the helmet on allowed me to have a sense of anonymity, especially because my old armor was…not so shiny.” He chuckled. “Ironically, I’d just accepted a job where I actually planned to _remove_ the helmet, at least under some circumstances, when the Purge happened. I was about two days out from Sundari when Paz commed me to let me know what was going on.”

Cara smiled sadly. “You always remember where you were and what you were doing.”

“Yeah. You do.” He sighed. “I hadn’t told Karga I was going to quit yet, so I kept hunting. I’d made a name for myself, so it seemed natural for me to take bigger and better bounties—and made it easier to support the Tribe as we added to our numbers, through adoption and a few births.”

“And since the Guild’s here, no one questioned why you used Nevarro for your home base.”

Din shook his head. “ _Greef_ didn’t know we were there until I took the kid back from the Imps, and the Tribe came to cover for me—which was a surprise.”

Cara’s brow furrowed. “Why? I saw how tight you all were last night. And I mean, your _brother’s_ in the Tribe. Why _wouldn’t_ they help you out?”

“Paz and I…..had words…..earlier that day, when I came in with a camtono of Beskar—payment for turning the kid in.”

“I guess that makes sense,” she shrugged. “Guy’s got eight kids of his own, and seems to really care about them, from what I saw last night. I can’t imagine he was too happy about his little brother handing one over to the Imps."

“He didn’t even _know_ the bounty was a kid until someone on guard duty heard my confrontation with the Guild, and went to investigate. What _did_ get him was the fact that I was working for the same people who destroyed…. _everything_ of the Mandalore system. The fact that they paid me in a metal sacred to our people, stripped from the planets they wrecked after killing so many of us….I understand where he was coming from—I did then. But I rationalized my decision to take the job because it put the Beskar back in our hands, and _could_ even end up in some of my nieces and nephews' armor someday, since all that our Clans melted and saved for that purpose was lost.”

Cara frowned. “That’s _weird_ , that they used _Beskar_ as payment. Were they specifically trying to get _you_ to take the job?”

Din froze. “I….don't know. I think you might be onto something. They knew my reputation, and that I was willing to capture a bounty by any means necessary. That being said, the timing was….interesting, to say the least.”

“Why?”

“I started hunting about six years before the Purge—and with the skills I learned in the Corps, I earned a place in the Guild less than a year later. There were _some_ Imps on Nevarro then—as evidenced by the staked helmets in town--but they were driven out by before the _real_ action started.”

“And _now_ , six years _after_ it’s all over…..I come back from a job, and they’ve set up an actual _lab_ with equipment for…..whatever they planned to do to the kid.”

Cara shuddered. “Yeah, I don’t even _want_ to think about that. But what I don’t get is _why_ go to so much trouble to bring everything _here_ , when they could’ve set up _anywhere?_ It’s not like you don’t travel all over the galaxy.”

“That’s what concerns me—and why I worry they’ve got something bigger in mind.”

“You think they _knew_ the Tribe was here?”

“I’m not sure—but they know now…..and I personally don’t think it’s worth the risk to stay.” _Even if, once I’ve got everything figured out with the kid, I only see you when I turn in bounties_ — _if the Tribe even needs me to keep hunting, that is._

Cara’s response brought him back from his downward spiral of negativity. “What could they _possibly_ want with the Tribe? I’m guessing the Beskar they gave you, and maybe some weapons, are the most valuable things you have.”

“That’s….complicated. And I…..” He hesitated.

“…..can’t tell me. Gotcha.” She gave him two thumbs up and an encouraging smile.

“It’s a long shot that doesn’t make much sense—but we have to be prepared for every possibility.”

“You’re smart to think that way—and you know I’ll help here with anything I can.” She shrugged. “At least if we have to fight, your people are already well-trained. No starting at the beginning like on Sorgan,” she said with a smirk.

“Yeah, but hopefully it won’t come to that. The people of Nevarro shouldn’t be continually punished for…..” he sighed.

"We’ve faced some unlikely odds, and come out on top many times throughout our history—but Star Destroyers hold a lot of troops and a lot of ships. Even if all those who are unaccounted for return, we've only got thirty or forty of fighting age, and at least a third of them are teenagers. We have some former child soldiers in our ranks who have told us their stories, so we don’t _really_ want our younger members in the thick of things unless we have no other choice. And as far as ships go, we have five--and only two of them are actual fighters.”

“Outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned,” Cara sighed. “What if you had help—another Tribe, or whatever they call themselves?”

“That’s why Paz included a couple of other Mandalorian settlements in our list of choices—because while hiding out here has served its purpose in keeping us safe, especially during the war, we can’t do it forever. That was never the goal anyway. If we’re ever going to change things, so we don’t _have_ to hide anymore, we’ll _definitely_ need help.”

“So that’s your end goal? To be able to live out in the open again?”

“That’s part of it—but our _ultimate_ goal……is to return to Mandalore.” He closed his eyes beneath his helmet and let out a shaky sigh. “I’ve flown over, in between bounties, a few times over the years. Damage done by years of civil war has made the atmosphere on Mandalore proper too toxic to sustain life for many years—but now Kalevala and Krownest, two of the last strongholds of natural beauty in the sector, are the same. He swallowed, hoping his voice would stay steady. “But it’s all still _home_ ….and when the time is right, we’ll find a way to make it work, even though we’ll have to live in domes again…..and so much is just….. _lost_ ” His voice was high thin by the end, and broke on the last word.

Cara smiled, and Din could see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “That’s it,” she whispered. “That’s what The Way is—the way back to Mandalore.”

Din nodded, unable to speak without betraying the fact that tears rolled down his cheeks, wetting the cowl below his helmet.

Cara wiped her eyes on the corner of her sleeve. “As one who’ll never have that opportunity…..do it. Go back to your home. _Show_ those mudskuffers they can’t keep you down.”

Din nodded again, his heart filled with warmth and…..something else…..toward this woman who had lost _so_ much herself, but was constantly encouraging and supporting him and his people. _If the Tribe leaves Nevarro, she’d join you, if you asked her_ , a voice seemed to whisper inside his head.

She took a deep, unsteady breath and wiped the remnants of her tears. “Well, _that_ wasn’t what I expected to happen. You gonna be okay?” She looked down, then back up, so that her eyes were on his visor. “Bryn’s not the only one I worry about being alone, you know?”

Din sighed, his breathing a little more steady this time. “I’ll be all right—but I might take this little womp rat and go lie down on my bunk for awhile. On top of the food coma, I .....didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Same here,” Cara replied with a sad smile. “But _I_ got to sleep in, and you didn’t. The kid _needs_ you to take care of yourself—and that includes getting enough sleep, even if it has to be in the middle of the day sometimes. She looked up, where she’d told him a chrono was positioned above the desk. “Listen, I’ve got to leave in a few. Let me know when you hear from Maz’s friend.”

“I will. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long. Enjoy your _tiingilar_ —and tell Bryn to go easy on you.”

Cara made a face. “Yeah, I wondered how serious the heat actually was, since she told me to eat as much yogurt as I could beforehand. I’ve got a decent tolerance for spicy food, but I also _don’t_ want to have heartburn before I have to work the early shift tomorrow.”

He laughed. “It _definitely_ packs a punch. I grew up on a planet where spicy food was the norm—but _tiingilar_ ……hits you—and then the heat _spreads_. The first time I tried it, I was eight, and had just been adopted. It felt like my entire face was on fire, and I was _sure_ I was going to die.”

Cara raised her eyebrows. “Ohhhkay—I’ll take that as a legitimate warning.” She quickly secured the end of her braid, then gave him a soft smile. “Take care of yourself, Din.”

“You too, Cara,” he replied, matching her smile with one of his own, though she couldn’t see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh….these two! They flirt, they discuss serious, mysterious things…..and then they have feels that made me tear up while writing them! I’m so done with them being long distance! Hopefully something will happen soonish so they can meet up in person (and maybe even hug? Because I know my heart needs that so much!)
> 
> That one line from “Hamilton”—it just hit me, and I knew I had to use it!
> 
> This chapter is about 14 pages—chapter 2 was twice that length. Just curious as to what you prefer, as readers. Shorter chapters may mean more frequent updates—or maybe not—it depends on how the writing fairy guides me. It’s also possible that some chapters could still be long—because sometimes there’s no good place to split them.
> 
> Next chapter, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be meeting more familiar faces (including another of my favorites!), learning more about the Tribe….and Bryn gets a happy surprise!
> 
> Reviews are tiingilar (also in the Black Spire Outpost cookbook--I may have to buy it!)


	5. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bryn gets not one, but two happy surprises!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks for all the kudos and kind words--they always make my day--and give me ideas! This is another long chapter--because it's setting up the next one, when (I'm hoping!) things are really going to start taking off!
> 
> So we didn’t get the favorite character I referenced in my Chapter 4 notes (she’ll definitely be in the next one, though!)—but here’s an entire chapter from Bryn’s point of view—in which she actually gets two happy surprises, and we get to see some new aspects of her personality! 
> 
> Also, the Season 2 trailer…….aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! I’m so excited!

* * *

“You sure it’s all right if I take _all_ of this with me?” Cara asked as Bryn handed her a large dish filled with still-warm _tiingilar_ , and a smaller one with a seasoned yogurt sauce that magnified the flavor while taming the heat.

“Yes, of course. While I purposefully made a large batch so I can freeze portions for future meals, there is plenty to share.”

“I’ll bring these back next time I come over,” Cara told her, placing both containers in a woven bag she’d picked up at the bazaar.

“If I can trust you enough _not_ to look while we share a meal at the same table, even with our backs turned, I’m sure I can trust you to return a couple of bowls.”

Cara smiled. “Yeah, that was nice. Almost….”

“Normal,” Bryn sighed. “That has been one of the most challenging aspects of The Way. Food, and gathering for meals, is important in our culture—though, to be honest, I’ve never heard of one where it’s _not_ ,” she admitted, smiling beneath her helmet.”

Cara laughed. “Yeah, everyone likes to eat—even those of us who don’t use _quite_ as much heat.”

“You make your Alderaan stew sound quite appetizing, and I’m already looking forward to next Taungsday with great anticipation. Perhaps I’ll even make _uj’alayi_ for dessert—I’ve been wanting some recently.”

“What is it?”

“A type of cake—dense, filled with fruit and nuts, and covered with a thick glaze.”

“It’s….not spicy……is it?” Cara asked cautiously.

Bryn laughed. “No…..although, when Din and Paz were boys, they _did_ accidentally use finely ground hot pepper in the glaze instead of cinnamon.”

“How old were they?”

“Eight and ten, from what I remember Nula, their mother, telling me. The spices were labeled in Mando’a, and Din had just begun learning it. Fortunately, the recipient was their older sister—who passed it on to some of her friends from work as a prank. Din had _quite_ the crush on one of them, and when she jokingly asked him for the recipe, Nula said his face lit up as though she’d handed him a moon.”

“Oooo, he had a _crush_?” Cara asked….and was that a _giggle_ in her voice?

Bryn studied her friend for a moment, noticing the slight blush to her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes that appeared any time Din was mentioned. _I do believe she’s even more smitten with the man than she was last week._

“Yes—on an older woman— _three_ times his age, in fact,” she replied, amused as she always was at the thought of her often-stoic brother-in-law as a lovestruck little boy.

Cara laughed. “Oh wow—did she _know_?”

“Yes. In fact….she told Nula she wished she could find a man her own age that looked at her the way _he_ did.”

Cara’s smile softened, and her hand unconsciously moved over her heart. “That’s…….really sweet.”

“Din Djarin is……socially selective, shall we say, but generous to a fault toward those he truly cares for. There is not a child in the Covert who doesn’t receive a birthday treat…..and even when _four_ of us were pregnant several years back, he was mindful of providing each of us with the foods we craved, or, in my case and Ana’s, the ones we could best keep down.”

“So I was right—not all of your kids are adopted.”

“No, only two of them—Ajay and Nima—are. They’re siblings, and our middle children, since we have three older and three younger.”

“I figured at _least_ Jerem and the taller girl from last night were your biological children. Even though I can’t see their faces, they remind me of you and Paz, just in how they carry themselves.”

“Jerem is very similar to his father in every way, but Miri actually looks nothing like me. She bears a striking resemblance to one of my older cousins, though.”

“What about the shorter girl?”

“Joselin _does_ have some of my features—but also favors _another_ cousin—as well as one of Paz’s ancestors. Her personality also mirrors each of ours—which has made for some….. _interesting_ moments in her almost-eighteen years.”

Cara laughed. “Sounds like _my_ mother talking about _me._ ”

“Her independence and ambition has caused me to constantly adjust my mindset as a parent, but I’m _very_ proud of the woman she’s become. She completed her apprenticeship just before leaving, and upon her return, she’ll begin working with me as a secondary Armorer. In fact…..I’m going to ask her to forge Kyri’s first helmet.”

Cara gave her an encouraging smile, and placed a hand on her forearm. “I’m sure she’ll be honored.”

“She will—but it was a bittersweet decision for me, since Kyri is our last child.”

“So you and the big guy decided eight is enough, huh?” Cara asked with a smirk.

“Paz and I were actually open to the possibility of another child or two—but Kyri had a placental abnormality that could have resulted in my bleeding to death. Fortunately, Dara detected it early on—but we all decided that a surgical delivery, immediately followed by uterine extraction, would be our wisest choice.”

Cara winced. “That does….. _not_ sound fun.”

“It wasn’t—but the end result was a healthy baby, though she _was_ a bit small, and I got to remain in the mortal realm with my husband to bring up the other seven as well.”

“Din said _their_ family had _twelve_ ,” Cara said with a smile, shaking her head in disbelief. “Did _you_ grow up in a big family, too?”

“No—I was actually an only child. Kade, who’s over the care of Foundlings for the Tribe with his wife, is my cousin, and we grew up relatively close. Still, it was a lonely existence at times—and when I married into Paz’s big, boisterous, loving, family, I decided _that_ was the experience I wanted for my own children. There are definitely disagreements and short tempers at times—even between the two of us—but as a whole, I feel we’ve been successful in nurturing a similar experience for our own children.

“I’m glad,” Cara said, smiling almost wistfully as she sighed. “I’ve really enjoyed this—all of it—but I should get going. I work the early shift for the rest of the week, and have to get up at 4:30 tomorrow morning.

“If I went with you, could I still call them tonight?” Bryn asked, her question immediately followed by a yawn.

Cara put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You know you’re welcome anytime--but I can tell just by your voice that you’re exhausted. I _really_ think you need to stay home, drink some of that tea you bought today, and get some sleep. You’ve had a rough night, and a big day today. I’m sure Paz can manage _not_ to throw your kids out the airlock for another fifteen hours or so,” she smirked.

Bryn sighed, disappointed, but realized the wisdom in Cara’s words. “You’re right. I do.” She pulled her friend into a tight embrace. “Thank you _so_ much for today—I needed it _desperately_.”

Cara returned the hug. “So did I.”

* * *

After Cara left, Bryn changed into her softest sleep clothes, including one of Paz’s overshirts, which hung down to her knees. As she heated the water for her tea, she hoped the herbal blend would help her get the sleep she so desperately needed, following the previous night’s grief-induced insomnia. 

She’d just removed the infuser, added a bit of honey, and taken her first sip, when the doorchime sounded.

_Did Cara forget something?_ She put down her cup and put on her helmet, looking around the open space that encompassed the kitchen, dining, and living areas for any out-of-place items, as she made her way to the door. She couldn’t imagine it would be anyone _but_ Cara, as both the lift and stairs leading down to the Covert’s residential level required two passcodes to gain access. However, she knew it would be unwise to open the door without first checking the cam.

She was pleasantly surprised at the sight of the two figures that appeared on the monitor, and a smile spread over her helmeted face as she quickly pressed the button to activate the audio component of the system.

“What’s the password?” she asked, as had been their routine for as long as they’d lived in close proximity.

“I hope it’s _tiingilar_ , because I’m _starving_ ,” Ana’s lilting brogue answered.

“Why are the two of you _here_?”

“Because…..we’re hungry?”

“Just for that, I should _leave_ you out in the hall,” Bryn said in her prim, teasing voice.

“Hey, don’t punish _me_ for _her_ grumpiness—you know how she gets when she’s hungry.”

Bryn sighed dramatically, trying not to laugh. “Fine—I’ll let you _both_ in, because _Alec_ shouldn’t have to suffer for _your_ impudence—and perhaps a full belly will improve your disposition.”

“You can’t see me, but I’m rolling my eyes at you,” Ana replied, but Bryn could tell she, too, was trying not to give in to laughter.

She pressed the button to open the door. “You sound like Jos,” she said as the two of them entered.

“No, _she_ sounds like _me—_ now shut up and give me a hug,” Ana said, holding her arms out.

Bryn stepped into her embrace, now laughing openly. “I can never decide if you’re the best or the worst.”

“I’m family, so you’re stuck with me either way,” Ana answered sassily. Then she sighed as she lay her head on Bryn’s shoulder, and said, quieter, “I’ve missed you.”

“Oh, how I’ve missed you, too,” Bryn replied, swallowing a lump in her throat. They stood there, holding each other, for several moments, cherishing the tactile comfort of their familial bond. Until the previous day, Bryn had worried that she might be the sole survivor of her generation from their Clan, so having her beloved cousin return was a _great_ relief.

Bryn _adored_ Cara, who had become her very dear friend over the past few weeks—but there was something about having her fellow _Mando’ade_ , especially these who were also _aliit_ , in her chilly, often lonely, home again. Their presence warmed her heart, and calmed her disquieted spirit, in a way that her new friend couldn’t.

She felt Ana’s stomach rumble through their combined layers of clothing and Beskar, and reluctantly loosened her embrace. “Cara and I put the _tiingilar_ away less than half an hour ago—it shouldn’t be too cold yet. If the two of you will get the tray tables, I’ll heat your plates.”

“No, we can handle it,” Ana replied. “I see you’ve got a cup of tea on the table—you should drink it while it’s hot.”

“I still can’t remove my helmet until the two of you are settled and turned away.”

“You could sit on the couch--the back’s high enough that we can’t see you, and you’ll be more comfortable, anyway. And, if we have _our_ backs to _you_ , we can put our plates on _this_ table and eat like _normal_ people.

“Very well,” Bryn said, taking her tea and taking two steps back toward the couch before turning. “The _tiingilar_ is on the top shelf in the…..”

“We’ll _find_ it—and anything else we need,” Ana replied, her voice full of fond exasperation.

“No _cyare_ — _I’ll_ find it. _You_ sit and visit while you can,” Alec spoke up.

“Thank you, _ner kar’ta_ ,” Ana replied, and sat in the seat at the table closest to Bryn’s turned back. “Okay, I’m in place—you can take your helmet off now, and I’ll do the same.” she said.

“Thank you,” Bryn answered, and did exactly that. She grabbed her tea from the nearby lamp table, sighing in relief as her unhelmeted head sank into the couch cushions behind her. She even went as far as to prop her feet on the low table in front of her, since her thick socks wouldn’t damage it. “Returning to my earlier question—why _are_ the two of you on Nevarro?”

“Because the mattress on our ship feels like it’s stuffed with rocks—so we’ve come to get the one from our bed here, while we’re in the sector. Plus, our go-bags on the ship only had two changes of clothes--so even though we picked up a few things and did laundry while we were fulfilling our duties planetside, we’re running low now.”

“Were you able to easily locate your contact?”

“Yep--still lives in the same place as before the Purge—and she and her new husband were a _great_ help to our mission, and excellent hosts. We even slept on their balcony under the stars for several nights—which was _really_ nice, after being cooped up inside for so long.”

“Last night Cara and I made plans to go to the bazaar today--and it was _wonderful_. Even with my helmet on, to feel the warmth of the sun, and breathe the aromas of fresh air and unfamiliar, but delicious-smelling, food…..it was almost overwhelming, in a good way.”

“How did people take you being there?” Alec asked as he sat down. “I didn’t _see_ any townspeople around during the showdown with the Guild, but just the fact that we were involved could have given them a negative perception of us—though no matter what, we were _right_ to help of our own, especially once we found out about the little one.”

“I definitely got some looks—but they seemed to be more out of curiosity than hard feelings. Plus, Cara has a death glare that rivals Ursa Wren’s, so I’m sure _that_ was helpful in dissuading anyone who might have ill intent.”

Ana laughed. “I don’t know—if her look’s _that_ scary, the kids around town may accuse her of being a witch now.”

“ _What_?” Bryn knew her cousin’s penchant for making outlandish statements, but she failed to see _any_ connection with this one.

“We called the kids today, since we’ll be comms silent for awhile—and apparently Jeigan and Simon have been telling the little kids Ursa’s a witch—and poor Emi took them seriously. So when she went to get some water last night, and saw Ursa sitting…….”

“Wait, Ursa and Alrich are still _there_? When I heard about their supply drop last night, I assumed it was back when the Tribe first arrived.”

“Of _course_ they’re still there—it’s _ba’buir_ paradise! They’ve got three little reasons not to leave _any time_ soon—and two _more_ that I’m sure appreciate their help. Plus, Ursa’s good at all the organizing and managing and scheduling that helps create some illusion of normalcy after your entire life’s been uprooted.”

Bryn nodded, though the others couldn’t see her. “That’s all very true—and I don’t blame them at all for wanting to be near their family after such a lengthy separation. But now my curiosity is piqued—what happened with Emi?”

“It was after the call, and Ursa was trying to get the baby to sleep—little one’s _really_ sensitive to emotions, and her parents were having a rough time. When Ursa saw Emi come downstairs, she asked if she needed help—and Emi screamed—and the baby woke up--and chaos ensued.”

“Oh _no_ ,” Bryn said, placing a hand over her eyes. “Of all the nights……”

“Yeahhhh…….exactly. It took Kade and Elyse an _hour_ to get the poor kid settled down enough to talk—and when she told them _why_ she was afraid, Kade was _so_ angry that the told the boys he was going to take a walk—through the woods—in the dark—to cool down and think of an appropriate consequence. It _might’ve_ scared them more than if he’d yelled at them, to tell the truth,” she chuckled.

“And what _was_ the consequence?” Bryn asked.

Alec laughed. “They have to spend the next _week_ helping Ursa with her duties—while still fulfilling their own—which means between training and their schoolwork, they won’t have much free time. They also have to do something nice for Emi.”

“How is _she_ with Ursa now? Is she still afraid?”

“I told her a story that changed her mind--about a _nice_ witch, two brave warriors in love, and a mean, ugly troll—you know the one,” Ana chuckled.

“I do,” Alec replied, followed by the sound of a quick kiss.

Bryn smiled. “Despite Ursa’s direct nature, Nula always loved her, more as a daughter than a cousin once removed.

“Nula loved almost _everyone_.” Ana said. “She saw the good in people, even when they couldn’t see it in themselves.”

“I miss her--almost as much as my _own_ mother,” Bryn sighed.

“Wow, this _tiingilar_ must be extra spicy,” Ana said, her voice strained.

Bryn reached behind her, and found her cousin’s shoulder, then gave it a supportive squeeze. “I know. I’ve felt a bit ‘extra spicy’ myself recently.” A moment later, she felt a hand reach up to take hers.

“Bryn?” Ana asked a few minutes later, her voice back to normal.

“Yes?”

“What’s in the pretty green box on the counter?”

Bryn laughed softly. “Why don’t you take a look?”

She heard the chair slide back, and footsteps heading toward the counter on the opposite side of the room.

“Hmmm…….Corellian creams, lemon twists….and my favorite—jam puffs. I’m guessing these are for dessert?”

“ _Ner tracinya_ , come finish your dinner like a big girl,” Alec teased.

“If that didn’t work on me as a child, it _definitely_ won’t work on me as an adult,” Ana replied.

“Speaking of children,” Bryn asked, “you’ve told me about Emi and Jeigan—how are the others?” She could hear a slight slur to her words--the tea was _definitely_ working its magic now.

“Jema has started jetpack training, Jared has been cataloging plants for his school project, the house has a KeyBed so Jelisa's been learning some basics from Kade, Abi is over the _moon_ because we told her she could paint her helmet…and Kaleb climbed his first tree this morning,” Alec reported, pride and love evident in his voice.

“How are _your_ kids doing?” Ana asked. “Jema also said Jerem was really excited about helping with the tech for last night’s call.”

“He was so excited he was _chatty_ —and you know how often _that_ happens.”

“Never.”

Bryn laughed. “Precisely. As far as the others go, Kyri told me that she only likes _me_ now. Jos and Ammon Rook have likely contacted each other, since they’ve _already_ been separated for almost three weeks……”

“Ah, young love,” Ana said in a smirky tone.

“……Miri has been staying up _very_ late just to get some quiet time to herself—and Evet and Eyra, _and_ Ajay and Nima, have been arguing amongst th…… _”_ she cut off with a yawn.

“Stop that, it’s contagious,” Ana said, yawning herself. “And don’t get _too_ comfortable _yet_.”

Just then, the doorchime sounded again, startling Bryn to full wakefulness as her heart raced nervously. “Who could _that_ be?” she asked, fumbling for her helmet.

“Why don’t you check and see?” Alec answered, his own voice now modulated as well.

“What have you two…..” Bryn started as she pressed the cam view. The sight in the hall made her heart swell and her vision blur.

“Honey, we’re home,” Paz said as his wife opened the door and immediately crashed into his waiting arms.

* * *

“I think she’s finally out for good—can you take her?” Bryn asked two hours later, after Ana and Alec had returned to their own apartment, and their seven older children were long since asleep. Paz was propped up against the wall on her side of the bed, where he’d been reading the relocation site reports aloud so they could discuss their options for a potential new home.

“Guess we bored her to sleep, huh?” he teased quietly as he walked over to the chair in the corner, where she still rocked a travel-weary Kyri.

“Our discussion nearly bored _me_ to sleep.” Bryn yawned before she placed a kiss on the crown of the little girl’s long auburn ringlets, so much like her own at that age. She attempted to hand the toddler over, but wasn’t fully successful. “It seems I’m going to have to……there,” she said, after gently prying two little hands from their grip on her sleep top. “Thank you, darling—I _know_ you must be exhausted,”

Paz gave her a tired smile. “I am—but if putting her down is the price I have to play for sleeping in my _own_ bed with _just_ my beautiful wife for once, then I’ll gladly do it,” he said, leaning down to give her a quick kiss before leaving the room.

Bryn stood and stretched before making her way to the bed. She crawled under the covers, sighing in relief as her husband’s residual heat enveloped her body in a cocoon of coziness. She had almost dozed off when he re-entered the room, and quicky discarded his shirt and sleep pants. It never ceased to amaze her how the man could stay so warm in just his undershorts, when she'd spent the past four months dressing in layers just to keep from freezing.

“I put her in bed with Miri—she’ll stay warm that way, and hopefully sleep through the night—and _late_ tomorrow morning.” He crawled into bed and lay next to her, so their faces were only a few inches apart.

Bryn closed her eyes and touched her forehead to his, breathing in the warmth, the scent, the very heartbeat of this man to whom she’d been married for nearly nineteen years. “I’ve missed you. _Incredibly_ ,” she said, running a hand over his closely cropped dark hair.

He smiled, blue gray eyes crinkling as they met her brown ones. “I’ve missed you, too. Four months is wayyyy too long to be separated. How ‘bout we never do it again?” He reached over and stroked the side of her face before gently pressing his lips to hers.

Bryn smiled. “I _still_ can’t believe you just…..showed up! I didn’t expect you for at _least_ another week.”

He chuckled, twisting a lock of her hair around his finger. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear us out in the hall. Nima dropped her helmet when we were about ten feet from the door, and Jos…..used it as an opportunity to _loudly_ use some of the new vocabulary she picked up on our travels. Then _Jerem_ yelled ‘language!’ loud enough to wake the dead— _and_ his little sister.” He laughed. “We’re a lot of things, but quiet ain’t one of ‘em.”

Bryn’s shoulders shook with her own laughter. “I purchased a restful blend of tea today, and had just finished a cup—so I was barely awake until the doorchime jarred me back to reality—for which I’m _extremely_ grateful _,”_ she replied, placing a kiss on his bare shoulder.

“Yeah, me too,” he said before kissing her again, a bit more intensely. “I’ve missed _thi_ ….” he cut off and rolled to his back, letting out a huge yawn. “Sorry about that—it’s been a _long_ day, even with the older kids piloting the ship so I could have a break.”

“I take it you don’t want to finish discussing the climate of Zebulun-12?” she teased, definitely feeling her _own_ long day catch up with her.

“One of the perks of being married to the the _alor_ —debriefings in bed,” Paz mumbled, kissing her collarbone. “Sorry, honey, not tonight—‘m too tired.”

She gave him a sleepy smile. “Don’t worry, _cyare_ —we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it in the morning.”

“No offense, _ner kar’ta_ , but we’ve been apart for four _very_ long months--that’s not _exactly_ at the _top_ of my list when we _finally_ wake up—you know?” he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Her eyes locked with his. “I agree. Perhaps we should discuss…..other matters instead,” she said in a sultry tone, running a finger down the center of his chest. “Would the salinity of the oceans of Laggan more to your liking?”

Paz laughed. “Ana _lied_ to me about you being the ‘only sane woman’ in your family when she introduced us,” he said, making Bryn snort and lose her own battle with laughter.

“Be that as it may--but she _was_ correct in her declaration that _you_ were one of the few _good_ Vizslas,” she replied, tapping his nose with her finger.

Paz took her hand in his and kissed her palm, then patted the narrow strip of mattress between them. “Now turn off the lamp and get over here so I can keep you warm. It’s about all I’m good for at this point.”

Bryn placed one last kiss on each cheek, then his lips. “Rest now, my darling--there will be plenty of time for _all_ needful things once you’ve recovered a bit from your journey.” She pressed a button on the wall above her head, immersing the room in darkness, then turned over so her back was facing her husband. He towered over her by more than twenty centimeters, so once he pulled her in even closer, and his strong arms were wrapped around her middle, he was still tall enough to tuck his head over the top of hers, surrounding her in even _more_ warmth.

He kissed the top of her head. “Night Bryn-- _ni kar'tayli gar darasuum_.”

“ _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum balyc_ ,” she responded, closing her eyes and reveling in the fact that her family was finally _home_.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated FF for Family Feels! 🥰
> 
> I love Bryn--and writing this from her point of view was such a cool experience! Someone asked last chapter if the 'happy surprise' was that she was pregnant--but that's clearly not the case (and the condition she had is a real thing called 'placenta accreta'--you look up all kinds of things as an author.....😉). She did, however, get two groups surprise visitors (and Cara totally knew about both of them!) I love how she and Cara are becoming more comfortable in their friendship--and her snark with Ana (and Alec....but mainly Ana). But that last scene--I love it so much it gets its own paragraph of notes (see below)
> 
> We also learn that both she and Paz (and Din, of course) have surviving family……and all these names? If they're alive, we're going to meet them…..soon (even the ‘witch’, who I actually love for her complexity......and the two preteen rascals who called her that, who are....🙄😂)
> 
> Also, there are things that are not as they first seemed……if you have theories, I would love to hear them! 😁
> 
> Our big blue boi 💙 (and his shipload of kids) is home at last! His scene was the very first one I wrote for this story (basically as soon as I figured out he and Bryn were married—though it has gotten several tweaks along the way). They’re so happy to be under one…..part of the ground….together again! FYI, he’s 6’5” and she’s 5’8”, for anyone who is a nerd for such details (like I am) ;) And I am totally jealous, because I need a big cuddly teddy bear husband…..with a jetpack!
> 
> Next chapter’s title is…….The Jedi! I am ridiculously excited for so many reasons! 😀😀😀😀😀
> 
> From this point on, I plan to update on Fridays (though it probably won’t be every Friday--and I'm on Eastern time, btw). If you want a more specific timeline for how the next chapter is going, and/or are interested in teasers, I’ve started posting them on my Tumblr—it’s Sassygirl579 if you’re interested in such things ;)
> 
> Comments are sleepy snuggles after a long journey :)


	6. The Jedi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din has an interesting thought and gets an interesting holocall—and another family from House Vizsla gets a long-awaited reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your likes, faves, and reviews—they make me so excited to write—and excited about what’s coming up! :D Also, so much for “I’m going to write shorter chapters ;)
> 
> I know it's not Friday--but I wanted to get this posted so I can go ahead and get my mind on what's to come.....and it's only about 14 hours late......sooooooooo......here it is!
> 
> I have planned to write the new-to-this-story characters in this chapter for quite awhile (I think I originally planned some of this to be in Chapter 4?), but the fact that it corresponds with recent hoopla surrounding some of said characters without being planned that way is quite amusing to me! XD
> 
> If you’re a Legend of Zelda fan, there a couple of modified Easter eggs in this chapter ;)

* * *

“So how was the _tiingilar_?” Din asked when Cara called him after returning from dinner with Bryn.

She smiled. “I thought my tongue was going to burst into flames for the first few bites--but it was worth it. She sent me home with several meals’ worth of leftovers--and I haven’t ruled out having it for breakfast—it was _that_ good.”

“I’ve heard it’s good for breakfast, especially if it’s cold….and you’re hung over.”

Cara shrugged. “I’ve _mostly_ been a good girl since I got to Nevarro—but I’ll keep that in mind,” she winked.

“How did the surprise go? Did she suspect anything?”

“Not a clue,” she laughed. “When I suggested making a double recipe, she said, ‘Yes, that will save time for future meals’—not knowing it’ll probably be _gone_ before bedtime.”

Din laughed. “That sounds like a very accurate assessment, on both accounts. Did you also have _uj’alayi_ —the cake with fruit and nuts?

“No, we had pastries from the bakery—which I’m sure will _also_ be gone shortly—but she said she’ll make one next week, when I make Alderaan stew for them.” She chuckled. “She _did_ tell me about you and Paz’s baking adventure as kids—when you used hot pepper instead of cinnamon.”

He shook his head, blushing beneath his helmet. “I don’t think I’ll _ever_ live that one down.”

“I thought it was cute—and it sounds like your _older woman_ was amused by it,” she teased, giving him a wink.

Din groaned. “It’s been over thirty years, and Paz _still_ teases me about that!”

Cara laughed, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I _am_ curious as to what kind of woman would catch little Din’s attention. Perhaps…….a soft-spoken brunette with kind brown eyes and a ridiculously perfect tan?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Din tilted his head, studying her for a moment. “That……is oddly specific—but no. She was actually an _out_ spoken redhead with green eyes and freckles. Why would you think…..Omera,” he sighed.

“What? I thought you two had a thing back on Sorgan.” Her tone was…..different now—more brittle.

“We didn’t have a _thing_. Yes, she can shoot, and she’s a good mother…..and she’s pretty—but she’s not quite _mandokarla_.”

Cara looked confused. “What does _that_ mean?”

“It’s one of those words that doesn’t have an exact translation to Basic--but it means having qualities that are valued in Mandalorian culture—like being prepared to fight when needed, determination, loyalty, and a desire to live a rich and full life.”

“Have you ever met a woman who’s _not_ a Mandalorian that has those qualities?” she asked, and there was an intensity in her eyes that almost made him think……

“Yes,” he said simply, but thought, _she’s right in front of me_.

Just then the secondary call chime sounded, breaking the spell of…… _something_. “Cara, I’ve got another call coming in. With Paz and Alec landing on Nevarro soon, I want to make sure there’s not any kind of problem.”

“Alec and Ana are already there—I met them in the hall on my way out. But, I’ve already stayed up too late anyway. Talk to you tomorrow” she said with a sleepy smile.

“Rest well,” he replied before disconnecting and switching over to the other call.

“So I was right—you _are_ the mysterious bounty hunter known as ‘Mando.”

Din’s eyebrows raised beneath his helmet at the sight of the coral-haired woman on the holocall display. “Sabine! I didn’t know you were back. And…..who’s that?” he asked, noticing the man with long dark blue hair in the seat next to her.

She took the man’s hand, and the two of them exchanged a soft smile that made Din wish for things and people he had no business thinking about. Thankfully, Sabine refocused her attention on the holodisplay before he could get too caught up in a downward spiral of pining. “Din Djarin, this is my husband, Ezra Bridger Wren.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” Ezra replied with a friendly smile and a wave.

“You too,” Din replied with a nod.

“We have someone else we’d like to include on this call—she’s actually the reason we’re contacting you right now. Is it okay if I add her?” Sabine asked.

“Sure, go ahead,” Din answered, knowing her to be trustworthy.

Seconds later, a Togruta female, with blue and white patterened lekku, appeared in a secondary display.

“Hey, Ahsoka, can you hear me?’ Sabine asked.

The Togruta smiled. “Loud and clear. Is this your cousin?”

“Yes. Din Djarin, this is Ahsoka Tano, the former Jedi Padawan you learned about on your visit on Takodana this morning.

“Nice to meet you,” he said.

“Hi, Din, same to you,” Ahsoka said with a kind smile. “I didn’t realize you and Sabine were related until I contacted her after speaking with Maz. It seems we have several common connections—including two of your sisters.”

“Oh? Really?” he asked, surprised.

“Yes. I fought with Jael and Iona during the Siege of Mandalore. They were great warriors,” she said with a sympathetic smile.

“That’s what I’ve always heard,” Din replied. “I didn’t know either of them well, since they were much older than I was……but I’ve heard many stories of their bravery in the years since. He tilted his head and studied the three of them for a moment. “I’m still confused, though—why would you contact Sabine in the first place, if you didn’t know we had any kind of connection?”

“Because even if you hadn’t known her, the positive Mandalorian/Jedi connection would have been helpful in…..”

“Wait……what do you mean by ‘Mandalorian/Jedi connection’?” Din interrupted.

“Ezra is a Jedi Knight—and now that he’s a fully-fledged member of Clan Wren, we _actually_ have a Mandalorian/ _Jedi_ Mandalorian connection,” Sabine said proudly.

“So you thought that it would put me more at ease if I spoke with one of my own people who had a positive view of the Jedi. That makes sense.”

“Yes,” Ahsoka replied. “In addition, Ezra himself is a unique situation. Instead of learning at the temple from a young age, like I did, he didn’t begin Jedi training until he was a teenager.”

Ezra chuckled. “If you’re overwhelmed and confused about everything right now, I get it—all this Jedi stuff is definitely _weird_ if you’re not used to it.”

Din chuckled. “That’s…..an understatement—especially since the one who’s Force sensitive is a toddler—who’s still a baby in a lot of ways.”

A curious _coo_ came from the floor, where the baby had been happily floating a set of blocks using his Force powers. Din picked the little one up and settled him on his lap.

“Awwwww, he _does_ look like Master Yoda!” Ezra said with a goofy grin.

“Can you wave and tell them ‘hi?’” Din asked softly.

“Ba!” the little one exclaimed as he complied, earning a chorus of laughter from the other adults.

“So _copikla_ —what’s his name?” Sabine asked.

“I…..don’t know,” Din told her. “You’ve heard his one and only word—used incorrectly. If he _has_ a name I’m not sure he’d be able to tell me what it is. I’ve just been calling him ‘kid’—because I didn’t want to name him, and then…….” he trailed off.

“Maz told me you’re hoping to adopt him,” Ahsoka said, her eyes soft. “I’m pretty sure he’s the last of his species, so I think that may be the best way for him to have the love and security he needs to grow up to use the Force for good.”

Din felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Still, he struggled to accept that what had become one of his heart’s deepest desires might actually happen. “I…..want what’s best for him. If you think it would be better for him to go to the Jedi who’s trying to restore the order that Maz mentioned……I’ll do it.”

She shook her head. “I’ve heard the rumors, but I think that’s just an idea at this point. Given what Maz told me about how he choked your friend, I think that the sooner he receives some basics, like learning to discern intent through the Force, the better.”

“I agree,” Ezra confirmed. “He’s been around a long time—so it’s possible he’s had contact with Dark Side users—or even Sith. That’s _not_ something you want to play around with,” he shuddered.

“So what do you suggest I do?” Din asked.

“I believe that meeting the two of you in person will give all of us a better idea as to what our next steps should be. You left Takodana early this afternoon, right?” Ahsoka inquired.

“Yes.”

“Where are you headed next?”

“I don’t really have a destination. All I know is that I’m staying as far away as possible from my people. I can’t have hunters, or Imps, come after the kid, and hurt them again in the process. Same goes for Nevarro.” _If something happened to my family, or Cara…._ The baby wrapped his little fingers around Din’s gloved hand, and he felt a bit more calm.

“I totally understand--we can just meet you somewhere neutral, then.” Sabine said as she entered some information into their ship’s navicomputer. “Just to get an idea of where you are—have you passed Rua yet?”

Din consulted his own nav. “Yes—a few hours ago.”

“Okay…..looks like we should be able to meet up in about a week. That work for you, Ahsoka?”

The Togruta smiled. “Sounds good. That will give me time to tie up some loose ends here before I leave. Where do you suggest?”

Sabine studied the display again. “How does Zelik sound? There’s a town called Daruni in the northwestern quadrant that looks good. It has a small spaceport, and a population that’s diverse enough that none of us will stick out too much.”

Din nodded. “That sounds…..ideal. Thank you for arranging this. I know how badly you must want to see your family.”

She smiled. “We’re actually on our way there now, and since we don’t have quite as far to go as the two of you, we’ll have a few days with them before we need to leave. Plus, we can always go back afterward.”

Din smiled beneath his helmet. “Enjoy your visit—and tell everyone I said hello. Ezra, Ahsoka, it was nice meeting you both.”

“You too, Din. I’m looking forward to meeting the two of you in person,” Ahsoka answered warmly.

“Same here,” Ezra seconded with another wave.

After another wave from the baby, and a _correctly_ placed _ba_ , Din ended the call.

“All right, you little womp rat. Let’s get you ready for bed.”

* * *

“Bine, we’re here,” Ezra said a few hours later as he landed his _Kom’rk_ fighter, the _Loth Bat_ , in a clearing near the edge of a thick forest.

“Mmkay,” Sabine mumbled sleepily, opening her eyes to the starless dark visible through the ship’s viewport. “Are you sure?”

“If you look through those trees, you can see the lights from the house,” Ezra said, motioning toward a point directly in front of them.

“Oh yeah, I see them now,” she said, stretching her arms upward, leaning back, then forward. “Is it weird that I’m nervous about this?” she asked self-consciously.

He turned to give her an encouraging smile. “No, not at all. People can change a lot in ten years--just look at your mom. And as far as the others go, this is _definitely_ not how it usually works.” Having completed the ship’s shutdown sequence, he stood and moved behind her, placing his chin on her shoulder as he gently wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re going to be _fine_ —and they’re going to _love_ you.” He gently kissed the corner of her mouth, sending comfort through the Force.

“Thanks, love,” she said, returning his kiss before picking up her helmet and heading toward the back of the ship. The two of them grabbed their duffels, then she used the controls on her vambrace to open the hatch.

“Looks like we’ve got company,” he said, spotting a pair of bobbing lights leading what he guessed to be a small hovercart. By the time they reached the foot of the ramp, the approaching personages were close enough to identify.

“Ezra, you’re to be commended on arriving ahead of schedule. We should have just enough time to get everything inside and make introductions before the fireside begins,” Ursa Wren said, removing her helmet as she and her husband arrived in the clearing. “Do you think this cart will be sufficient?” she asked as she stepped forward to embrace first her daughter, then her son-in-law, ending each contact with a barely-there kiss on the cheek.

“Looks perfect,” Sabine replied with a smile, knowing how it pleased her mother when things were just right. “It should be able to go up the ramp without a problem, so loading should be a breeze.”

“How are you, Sab’ika?” her father asked, looping an arm around her shoulders and placing a kiss on her forehead as they entered the ship.

“Good,” she replied, returning his affections before picking up a crate of art supplies. “I’m excited about being here, for a number of reasons—and Ezra and I got an interesting call a few hours ago. Seems we may be getting a new cousin soon.”

“Oh?” Ursa asked. “Are Paz and his wife adopting again?”

“No—Din has a Foundling.” The look of shocked surprise on her mother’s face made it _really_ hard not to laugh.

“ _Really_? That’s……I……” she trailed off, as if she couldn’t figure out how to put her thoughts into words.

“I’m sure he’ll be an _excellent_ father,” Alrich said as he and Ezra slid an awkwardly-sized parcel into place on the cart. “I think he’ll strike a good balance between firm and caring—and everything else can build from that.”

“Yes, of course, dear,” Ursa said. “I never doubted him, but…….that’s a big step, especially given his lifestyle.” She surveyed the ship’s makeshift cargo area. “Is that everything?”

“That’s it,” Ezra answered, and the four of them headed down the ramp and toward the distant lights, including the new flicker of what looked to be a bonfire. “How are the Foundlings doing?” he asked quietly, and Sabine reached over to grab his hand, giving it a squeeze.

Ursa sighed, and Sabine saw a tired sadness appear in her mother’s eyes. “There are twelve of them, between the ages of two and seventeen. Kade and Elyse took each child or family aside this morning, and told them their parents…..won’t be returning.”

“Are they doing a remembrance tonight?” Sabine asked.

“Yes. They had a group holocall for those twelve and up last night, in which the list of the deceased was read—but to include the younger ones as well, especially on this first night……I believe it will be cathartic.”

“I don’t think you could’ve come at a better time,” Alrich told them. “You both have gifts that will be helpful to everyone, not just the children, in processing all of this.”

“Ezra teased me about bringing half my studio—but it’s important to find just the right medium to express yourself,” Sabine answered. “Giving people choices in small things can help them regain a sense of control over their lives after traumatic events.”

“Sounds like you’ve been learning a lot in your courses,” he said as they arrived at the front steps. “We’ve got some helpers waiting for us inside—Ezra and I can direct them in getting everything stored for the night. Why don’t you go ahead, so you’ll have as much time as possible?” he encouraged.

Sabine took a deep breath in an attempt to fight off the butterflies now battling in her stomach. “Sure. Thanks Daddy—love you,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” Alrich replied, giving her another hug.

“I’ll show you where to go—and I’ll send the others out, dear,” Ursa said as she placed a hand on her daughter’s back. “The two of you can join us after you’ve finished.”

“Will do,” Ezra said with a salute, and gave Sabine’s hand a final squeeze

The wide stone steps before them led up to a rustic porch that stretched the width of the house in both directions. The house itself opened up in a similar manner on the inside, with a staircase that bisected the room directly in front of them, and a spacious kitchen and eating area to the left (though Sabine had a feeling the table didn’t get used for eating, given the helmet situation).

To the right was a living area, where the only occupants at the moment were a group of older kids and teenagers playing cards at a table in the corner. As Sabine and her mother entered, a gangly boy whose chair was facing them stood.

“Are you ready for our help, Countess?” he asked, in a voice that had not yet reached maturity. Another boy, who looked to be about the same age, muttered “showoff.”

“Yes, thank you, Jeigan,” Ursa replied. “My husband is outside, and will direct you in where to put everything.”

“But we didn’t get to finish our hand!” the second boy complained.

“You brought this on yourself, Simon,” a taller, broader boy with a deep voice told him.

“Maybe if we just _do_ it, instead of _whining_ about it, we can have time to finish the game before the fireside,” an older girl stated, and Sabine could all but _hear_ the eyeroll beneath her helmet.

“She’s right, man—come on,” a fourth boy said, clapping Simon on the shoulder as he stood.

As the group filed past the two women, another girl, taller than Ursa by several inches, stopped in front of them.

“Hey, I’m Jema—are you Sabine?”

Sabine smiled at the familiar name as she grabbed the offered arm at the wrist. “I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too. Mama’s told us a lot about you—good things, so don’t worry,” she said with a giggle. “Want me to take your bag to your room? I need to get my cloak anyway—and I have a feeling you’re going to want your arms to be free.”

“Sure, thanks,” Sabine said, handing over her duffel.

“They’re on the third floor, to the left of Dara and Malik’s room,” Ursa instructed.

When the lithe teen had disappeared up the stairs, Ursa turned to her daughter. “Are you ready?”

Sabine nodded, her heart in her throat, as she followed her mother to a door on the far wall of the room.

When they reached it, Ursa placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder as she looked into her eyes. “Some things have changed—but many have not. I’ll go check on the others,” she said, and placed another kiss on her daughter’s cheek before she headed toward the back of the house.

Sabine turned toward the door, taking slow, deep breaths as she knocked three times. The door slid open almost immediately.

As she entered the room, and the door closed behind her, she stared in awe at the tall, strongly built man before her.

He reached up and removed his helmet, revealing an older version of a face she’d missed for ten long years. 

“Hello Sabine,” he said hoarsely, swallowing and blinking rapidly as he placed the helmet on a nearby table.

His image blurred as her own eyes filled with tears. In less than ten seconds, she’d closed the short distance between them, and held her baby brother, now a fully-grown man, in her arms. “Tristan,” she whispered, knowing she had to be careful, since he went by an alias now. _Colin or Col-you can’t forget that_.

“Bine,” he said softly, his voice cracking as his arms tightened around her. She could feel his shuddering breaths beneath her hands. “I’ve missed you……so much.”

“I’ve missed you too…….I feel like I’ve missed your whole _life_. She closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks as she drew small circles on his back with her hand, just as she had as a three-year-old assisting her parents in calming his infant fussing.

The last time she’d seen him, a week before the Purge, he’d been two months shy of his eighteenth birthday. Now he stood before her, at least three inches taller than she remembered, his substantial muscles evident beneath her splayed hands.

After several minutes of just _holding_ each other, he took a step back, wiping his eyes with one hand. “How are you—aside from being a newlywed? Dad said you sold eight pieces at your last show.”

She smiled, wiping away the remnants of her own tears. “Actually, it was thirteen. I’ve had several people contact me since he and mom left Lothal.”

“He says you’re also teaching art classes at the museum—and learning about art therapy through holoclasses?”

“Yes. I’m hoping that I can use the knowledge I’ve gained from both to help in some way while we’re here.”

He swallowed, and Sabine could see him tear up again. “It’s hard. I train the twelve to eighteen group, and even the ones who _haven’t_ lost a family member are struggling…..and I’m not doing so great myself.” He took a shaky breath, and she could see his chin wobbling. “Two of our closest friends…..” he shook his head, trailing off.

“I’m so sorry,” Sabine replied, wrapping her arms around his waist as she leaned into his side

After a few minutes, he spoke again. “Maybe _I_ need some art therapy….and some of that Jedi meditation stuff Ezra does.”

She gave him one last squeeze before releasing him. “That’s what we’re here for……that, and to meet some of the newer members of Clan Wren.”

He gave her a watery smile. “Hey, that goes both ways.”

“Hey, your mom’s gone to get the others. Mind if I come in for a minute before they get here?” Ezra said from outside the door.

Sabine looked to her brother, who had already put his helmet on, and she pressed the button to open the door.

As it slid open, she giggled at the mock frustration on her husband’s face.

“Aw man, you’re _still_ taller than me!” Ezra said as he entered.

“Not by much. Looks like I’m not the _only_ one who’s had a growth spurt,” Col replied, enveloping the slightly shorter man in a in bear hug. “Welcome to the Clan, brother.

“Thanks,” Ezra said with a wide smile. “I’ll try to bring honor to it, and not start any wars—especially since there’s just, what, _nine_ of us now?”

Col shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. One of our cousins has been searching for a new home for the Tribe, and found a few Mandalorian settlements. It’s possible there may be more of us than we think.

“That would be great.” Ezra replied, rubbing the back of his neck, like Sabine knew he did when he felt embarrassed or out of his depth. “Take some of the pressure off the new guy.”

“Oh, and congratulations on becoming a Jedi Knight,” Col said. “I know that’s a big deal—especially now that you’re one of us. I think there’s only been two Jedi Mandalorians _ever_ , and _our_ family is related to both of you, he said proudly.

“Thanks, man,” Ezra said, blushing as he flashed a goofy smile.

Outside the door there was a _thump_ , followed by a giggle, before Ursa said, “Are you ready? We’ve only got about ten minutes until we need to be in place outside.”

“Which really means ‘twenty’” Sabine mumbled, earning a chuckle from both men.

“If you’re not ten minutes early, you’re late,” Col said under his breath.

“Sure, bring ‘em on!” Ezra called.

Seconds later, the door opened, and a tiny girl burst into the room, followed by a woman a bit shorter than Sabine, who held the hand of a slightly older girl in her right hand, and a tiny bundle on her left shoulder.

“Aunt Bine, Uncle Ezra!” the younger girl exclaimed, and immediately slammed into Sabine’s legs before wrapping her arms around them in a tight hug. _Okay—guess we don’t have to worry about this one being shy……_

“Hi,” Sabine said, unwrapping the child’s arms so she could crouch down to her level. “Why don’t we try that again?”

The little girl jumped into her embrace, then bumped their foreheads together in a Keldabe kiss that made Sabine’s unhelmeted head ring.

“Hana, sweetie, please wait at _least_ five minutes before giving anyone a concussion,” the woman chided as she laughed.

“She’s fine,” Sabine said, settling the little girl on her hip as she stood. “She’s just really excited—just like I’m excited to finally meet _her_! Tell me, Hana—how old are you?”

“Free!” she said, holding up three stubby fingers.

“Wow, you’re _three_ years old? That’s _awesome_!” Ezra said, and Hana immediately reached out her arms to him.

“Now that you’ve met the most…..exuberant…..of our bunch,” Col said, walking over to wrap his arm around the woman’s shoulders, “I’ll introduce you to the rest of us. This is my wife, Sali…”

She nodded. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you both—I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I……don’t know if that’s a good thing or not,” Ezra mumbled.

Col chuckled, and placed his hands on the oldest girl’s shoulders. “This is Lia, who’s five, and this,” he said, gently cupping the baby’s head, “is Adya—she’ll be three weeks old tomorrow.”

“Would you like to hold her?” Sali asked Sabine.

“I do—but first I want to say ‘hi’ to this big girl right here,” she said, crouching down again. “Hi, I’m your Aunt Sabine—and that’s your Uncle Ezra.”

“Hi, the little girl said softly. “Your armor is pretty.”

Sabine smiled. “Thank you, _cyar’ika_. I like _your_ helmet. It’s got some really good design lines.”

“Aunt Bine _loves_ to paint—I’ll bet if you wanted to paint your helmet, she would help you,” Col spoke up.

“What about hot chocolate?” Lia asked, and the adults laughed softly.

“I don’t mean _tonight, ad’ika_. But you’re right—it’s almost time for the fireside. _Ba’Buir_ has your capes,” he said, nodding toward Alrich, who was standing just outside the door. _“_ Does anyone need the ‘fresher before we go out?”

“Me,” Sali said, raising her now-free hand, since Lia had taken a step forward to study the designs on Sabine’s armor.

Sabine gave the girl an encouraging smile and a pat on the shoulder before she rose to her feet. She held out her arms toward her sister-in-law. “I’ll take her now—and Ezra and I will help Mom and Dad get the other two outside—and keep them safe around the f-i-r-e.”

“Thank you,” Sali said gratefully as she passed the baby to Sabine’s waiting arms. “She’s just been fed and changed, so she should be good for awhile,” she said before leaving the room.

“Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!” Hana began chanting as she bounced in Ezra’s arms.

“Have fun with that,” Col chuckled as he picked up Lia before leading the way toward the transparisteel doors leading to the small amphitheater visible at the back of the house.

“Oh, I will,” Ezra said, and joined in the chant with his niece.

* * *

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew—we’re fiiiiinally at the end of the day that’s been going on since Chapter 3! 
> 
> Not much Caradin in this chapter…..but that’s about to change, because this chapter is setting up some things that should make my fellow shippers very happy! Also, our boy’s always had a thing for tough girls…..
> 
> Sabiiiiiiiiine! Love that girl and her sassy, artsy self! We’ll learn more about the evolution of her relationship with Ezra as the story progresses. We’ll also learn more about the mysteries of the Tribe…….
> 
> Ursa is definitely different here than we saw even in her later episodes of Rebels—but with so many years of uncertainty about the safety of both her kids, plus being a grandma now, plus, the fact that she’s been in this house with so many who have lost loved ones recently—she definitely wants to hold her family a little tighter.
> 
> Chapter 7 will be called.....The Family!
> 
> Comments/kudos are long-awaited reunions!


	7. The Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paz helps out when a new challenge comes up, Cara becomes part of the solution—and Din comes to an important realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for faves, follows, and comments, and just reading—I do a happy dance every time I get a notification about them! 😁
> 
> Before I forget (again!), all translations come from mandoa.org
> 
> Rated S for shippiness! 😍

* * *

“Come on, _ad’ika_ , I know you’re hungry,” Din implored as he held a small smoked nerf strip to the baby’s mouth.

The little one pressed his lips together and shook his head, whining even as his stomach let out a loud growl.

Din sighed. “Okay, want me to reheat your eggs, since they’re cold now?”

“NO!” the baby replied as his eyes filled with tears, and he let out a loud wail.

_Okay, this is weird._ “Heyyyyy, come here.” He took the little guy into his arms, and gently rubbed circles on his back. “You just said a new word, and that’s good—but why are you so upset?”

The wail turned into a series of sobs, and Din’s heart nearly broke. They’d been traveling together nearly five months, and while tears weren’t unheard of, since the little one _was_ a toddler, he’d never cried like this—or refused to eat, when he was clearly hungry.

“Are you feeling sick?” Din asked, pressing a hand to the baby’s forehead. Did he feel a little warmer than usual? Hopefully that stomach growl wasn’t a sign of something more serious, like an oncoming bug.

The baby reached out toward the small conservator, so Din shifted him to one arm so his hand was free to open the door. “Is there something you’ll eat in here?” he asked. He knew little ones could be stubborn, and turn mealtimes into power struggles—he’d seen it helping out in the creche as a kid, and more recently with his youngest niece. However, the abrupt change from a happy, easygoing baby to a fussy one made him think something else was going on.

The baby patted the door to the freezer compartment, and Din opened it. A stubby green finger pointed at a container of frozen meiloorun sticks—so Din opened it, and handed his tiny charge a piece of the bright pink fruit. He put it in his mouth, but didn’t chew it—and yet, the crying stopped almost immediately.

“Hmm,” Din said after a few minutes, when the fruit had softened a bit, and the baby began chewing it with his front teeth.

It took a good five minutes for the entire piece of fruit to be eaten, but once the little one had swallowed the final bite, and was reaching for another stick, Din had come to a conclusion—one he _didn’t_ like. “Can you open your mouth for me real quick? I’ll give you another one, but I want to check something first.”

The baby complied, and Din flipped down the light on his helmet so it shone in the little one’s mouth. Just as he’d suspected, there were swollen spots on his lower gums, just behind the little one’s existing bottom teeth.

“Great,” he said with a sigh, and gave the baby another piece of fruit before heading into the cockpit to call Dara at the Tribe’s hideout.

* * *

Paz shook his head as he lowered the ramp to his ship. He and his kids had been home for a week now, and after all the bags were unpacked and all the laundry done, they were still missing a boot, three shirts, and the datastick with Ajay’s half-finished Mandalorian history assignment—the one he’d kept putting off that had to be submitted _tomorrow_.

He loved his kids—he _really_ did—but some of them (three, to be exact, because Kyri had the excuse of being a toddler who was still learning) were seriously lacking in the responsibility department. No matter what strategies he and Bryn tried to help them improve, nothing seemed to work more than a few days. Even after sending the owners of the missing items out here to search with Jos for over an hour, all five, which they’d _definitely_ had onboard since their previous stop, were still missing—so he’d taken it upon himself to hunt them down.

Half an hour later, he was surprised to hear the holocall chime coming from the cockpit, and quickly transferred it to his vambrace. He was even _more_ surprised to see his brother when he answered, since Din _knew_ he was home now—where he generally didn’t have access.

“Hey, _vod’ika_ , you okay?” he asked, concerned because he could see the pillow behind his brother’s head, and the angle of the holoimage was so that he appeared to be lying down.

“Kid’s teething,” Din replied in a low voice, nodding toward the little one dozing fitfully on his unarmored chest. “He screamed his head off for half the morning, won’t eat anything that’s hard or requires a lot of chewing……and this is the most he’s slept in about three days.”

Paz couldn’t see his brother’s face—but he could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “I’m sorry, man—that’s one of those things that’s _always_ tough, no matter how many kids you have.”

“I was hoping he was past this phase--but apparently not.”

“Yeah—and it’s especially tough when they’re little, and can’t _tell_ you what’s going on. At least he’s sleeping right now—you should do the same.”

“Believe me, I’ve tried—but as soon as I get settled down, he wakes up.”

“ _That’s_ why you need to come home so we can help you. We’ve got a whole houseful of babysitters who’ll be _glad_ to take care of the kid so………”

“Paz, no!” Din replied emphatically. “I am _not_ risking your kids’ lives— _again_ —because I’m a little sleep-deprived. That’s like putting targets on their back and telling the Empire to shoot!”

His brother shrugged. “I thought you said Stormtroopers couldn’t shoot for anything—and they _sure_ can’t fight, as my _riduur_ proved when they tried to surprise her that day in the Forge,” Paz said proudly. “Plus, all three of my big kids are trained in the Rising Phoenix now—and you _know_ who taught them how to shoot. Anyone who messes with them is in for an unpleasant surprise. On top of _that_ , Bryn and Cara put up security doors at both major entrances to the Covert. Imps won’t find it nearly as easy to get in this time, _if_ they even come back and try.”

“All that aside, what about the people of Nevarro?” Din asked. “They don’t deserve to have their homes and lives destroyed just because _I_ can’t handle a fussy baby.”

Paz sighed. “Okay, I get it--you don’t feel comfortable coming here—I’ll just come to you.”

“What? No—you just got home! You haven’t seen Bryn in _months_! Besides, you’ve got things to do to prepare for the relocation meeting.”

“I don’t mean long-term—just for a few days, until you meet with our cousin and her _Jetii_ companions tomorrow and the kid’s feeling better. Then another idea popped into his head. “Or……..”

“Or what?” Din sighed. “I don’t trust that tone—it’s gotten me in trouble too many times.”

Paz smirked beneath his helmet. “Well……a certain former Shock trooper happens to be in my living area playing _cu’bikad_ with my kids right now—and you know she’s got a week off, since her boss is off planet at his granddaughter’s wedding, right?”

“Paz, _she’s_ the one who chose to stay on Nevarro—there’s no way she’s going to spend her time off helping me take care of a teething kid.”

“Only one way to find out.”

“I am _not_ asking her to…..”

“Okay, fine—I’ll do it.” He sighed, and his voice was softer and more gentle when he spoke again. “Look, I know Bryn put you in charge of finding the kid’s people—but that doesn’t mean you have to do it _alone_. Parenting isn’t meant to be a solitary job—we all need help sometimes— _especially_ with the first one.

Din was quiet for several moments, and Paz could all but _hear_ him trying to find a valid reason why he shouldn’t get help from this woman that he _clearly_ had feelings for beyond friendship.

“All right. You can ask her. But if she says no…..”

“She won’t,” Paz said confidently.

“What makes you say that?”

He laughed. “Because she’s just as crazy about _you_ as you are _her_ , little brother!”

“I…….she……what do you……?” Paz would bet his favorite blaster his brother’s face was bright red beneath his helmet.

“It’s true. Any time your name comes up in conversation, her face lights up like a Canto Bight slot machine—not that I’ve ever _seen_ one in person, but……” Paz shrugged.

“You really think……”

“Yes—I _really_ do,” he said, softer. “Now go sleep while you can, and I’ll go ask her. If she says ‘yes’, I’ll call you back in a couple hours or so, in hopes that you can rest in the meantime. Then we’ll get some things together to help a teething baby—and his tired _buir_ , so be thinking about anything you want or need, and she’ll get it at the bazaar or we’ll dig it up here. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds…….thank you, Paz,” Din replied, his voice slightly hoarse and higher than usual before he cleared his throat. _Yeah, you’re at the end of your rope, little brother—good thing you’ve got a beautiful helper coming your way._

“Love you, _Din’ika_ ,” Paz replied. “Get some sleep--talk to you in a few hours.”

“Love you too, _ori’vod_ ,” Din replied.

* * *

“Where should I put it this time?” Kyri whispered loudly to Cara as they studied the _cu’bikad_ hologram projected over the Vizslas’ caf table.

“Put it two spaces under the last one and one space over this way,” Cara whispered back to the little girl on her lap.

“Right here?” Kyri asked.

“Yep, that’s it.” 

The three-year-old inserted her holoknife into the square, which resulted in a groan from nine-year-old Nima.

“You blocked me!” the older girl exclaimed.

“You blocked me _two_ times!” Kyri replied, and made a sound that made Cara know she was sticking her tongue out at her sister beneath her helmet.

The door to the apartment slid open, and Paz entered.

“ _Buir_ , did you find my boot?” the little girl asked excitedly as she hopped up.

“I did— _and_ something else I think you’ve been missing,” he said, opening the small bag looped over his right wrist.

“My Loth cats!” she said, holding up a tiny pair of lavender undershorts with bright green tookas and pink hearts. Cara and Nima looked at each other, and dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“Ah, so _that’s_ where they were, huh?” Miri asked from the table, where she and Ajay were doing schoolwork.

“What about my project?” the boy asked hopefully.

“No luck, _ad’ika_. Check _all_ the pockets in both your bags again. If you don’t find your data stick, you’ll just have to ask Kade for an extension. If that’s the case, he’s _not_ going to be happy—because this is not the _first_ time this has happened since we left.”

“I’ll go look again,” Ajay sighed, and headed toward the room he shared with his brothers.

“Find any other treasures?” Cara asked with a smirk.

The big guy chuckled. “Funny you should ask—can you come out in the hall for a minute?”

“Sure.” She turned back to Nima. “Why don’t you find us a snack while I’m gone?”

“And _you_ can put _this_ in your closet and _these_ in the hamper,” Paz instructed Kyri as he handed her the boot and bag of clothes.

“It’s too much!” the little girl whined as the boot fell to the floor. “And that’s _Eyra_ ’s shirt, not mine!”

The big guy shook his head, and sighed. “Her stuff gets washed with yours anyway—and here,” he said, placing the boot on top of the bag. “Try that.”

“Okay,” she sighed, and Cara had to stifle a laugh at her dramatics.

“Nice work, _Buir_ ,” she told Paz. “It’s like you’ve got experience with his parenting thing.”

“We’re a warrior people—but we know how to pick our battles,” he said as he opened the door, and she followed him out in the hall.

“So…..what’s up?” she asked once the door had closed behind them, and the only sound was the machines in the laundry room across the hall.

“While I was cleaning the ship, Din called me. He’s not doing well—or rather, the kid’s not.”

Cara felt her heart clench in concern. “What’s wrong? Is he sick?”

“Almost as bad—he’s teething. Meaning, he’s not sleeping or eating well….”

“And neither is Din,” she finished. “Poor baby. Poor _daddy_.”

“Yeah, he’s kind of in need of reinforcements….and I was wondering if you might be up for the job. I’d be glad to take you to meet up with him—he’s planning to land on one of the moons of the closest planet.”

Cara froze, and felt heat flood her cheeks. “I think _I_ know less about kids than _he_ does. I don’t know how much help I’d be,” she said.

“Teething is such a wild card even for experienced parents—and just having someone else there to lighten your load is a _huge_ help. Plus, kids can get clingy when they don’t feel well, and you’re the one he’s spent the most time with aside from Din. That’s why I didn’t ask Jos if _she_ would go, since she’s the only one who doesn’t have school.”

“But how do I know what to _do_?” she asked, wanting nothing more than to be with the little green baby and his father—but fearful due to her lack of experience.

“Bryn and I will make detailed instructions, just like we used to do for _our_ little ones when we left them with a sitter for date nights. I’ll also give you the comm channel for the Tribe. You can ask for Dara if you think it’s serious—but most of the adults have experience with teething—and sometimes all you need is someone to talk to.” He reached out and placed his Wookiee paw of a hand on her shoulder. “And you know, I think you do better than you give yourself credit for. You met my kids, what, three days ago, and Kyri’s already asking if you can join our Clan.” 

At his words, Cara blushed even deeper than before, and her heart twisted with longing for something she’d fought since that first hovercart ride back on Sorgan. “You think Din be okay with it?” she asked apprehensively.

“I’ve already talked to him about it. The kid was asleep, and I told him to try to do the same—and that if you said yes, we’d get back to him in a couple of hours.”

“So you’re _sure_ he was fine with it.”

Paz chuckled. “He was more than fine with it—he was _relieved_. He _needs_ you right now, Cara—and not just because the baby’s teething.”

She gave him a hesitant smile. “I think even with your cousin involved, he’s still nervous about the whole Jedi thing—and afraid that somehow he’ll still have to give the kid up.” _Can’t say I don’t have some concerns about it myself_.

“So……..you’ll do it?” he asked.

Cara took a deep breath, and just as when she’d agreed to help Din both times before, felt that she was stepping into uncharted territory.

“Yes.”

* * *

Six hours later, Din bounced the baby as he waited for his brother and Cara to land on the moon where the _Razor Crest_ was currently docked. By some miracle, the little one had slept about four hours after the initial call with Paz, but now he was awake, and the tiny bit of infant pain reliever Din had given him--because it was all that was left in the bottle--was wearing off.

“Hey, _ad’ika_ , look, here come _Ba’vodu_ and Cara,” he said as the ramp on the other ship lowered. Cara led out, carrying her pack and a small stuffed frog. “They’re bringing you some things to make you feel better, and…..” he cut off, speechless, at the sight of the moderately sized hover cart Paz was pushing down the ramp. It was loaded not only with items from the bazaar, but some he recognized from the Covert—that others had used with _their_ kids. Din’s heart swelled with gratitude at the generosity of his brother and friends.

“Awww, hi, baby—still not feeling well?” Cara asked as she approached the two of them with a sad smile. She dropped her pack and held out the frog. “Look what I got for you.”

“Nnnmgh,” the little one trilled sadly, halfheartedly making grabby hands toward the fluffy green toy, but clearly lacking his usual enthusiasm.

“When’s the last time you had some medicine? I know you were running low.”

“I gave him the last half dose about two hours ago, so I think that’s why it’s already wearing off,” Din told her.

Paz stopped the cart a few meters away. “Give him half a dose and an ice pop from the cold bag.” Cara nodded, flashed Din a sympathetic smile, and then took the baby over to the cart, chattering about all the colors and flavors he could choose for his cold treat.

“Hey little brother, how you holding up?” Paz asked, and enfolded Din in a massive hug. Din felt his shoulders and chest loosen from the tension he hadn’t even realized he was carrying at the solid weight of his brother’s familiar arms.

“Much better, now that the two of you are here. Thank you _so_ much for…..everything,” he said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“ _Aliit baatir par aliit_ _,”_ Paz replied. “And so does _future_ family,” he chuckled, earning himself a punch in the arm.

“Shut up, Paz,” Din said as he took a step back from his brother’s embrace.

“Hey, I’m all for it—and so is Bryn,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “Far be it from me to mess things up for you.”

“Then stop running your mouth or she’ll hear you, _di’kut_ ,” Din murmured as Cara started walking back toward them. The baby’s lips were now bright red from the ice pop, and Din was grateful she’d had the foresight to take the frog so it wouldn’t get sticky, too.

“Ah, starfruit—excellent choice!” Paz said in an accent that sounded more Core than Outer Rim.

“Ready to go see your _ba’vodu_?” Cara said to the little one, whose free hand reached toward the big man. She handed him over, then turned her attention to Din.

“You…..that’s Mando’a,” he said, voice filled with wonder.

She shrugged, blushing. “Yeah, your nieces and nephews decided I need to learn it, so they’ve been teaching me.” She placed the toy on top of her pack, then held her arm out to him as her eyes somehow found his in spite of the helmet. “How are you, Din?”

He took her hand, never taking his eyes from hers—and by some unspoken agreement, the distance between their handclasp closed until it was resting against his chestplate, and their free arms wrapped around each other’s backs in a hug that somehow felt like coming home.

“I’m……good,” he said, reluctantly letting her go after a few seconds. “How are you?”

“I’ve got a week off, and I’m spending it with two of my favorite people……so I’m pretty great,” she said, giving him a smile that made his heart feel…..full. She looked over to Paz, who was showing the kid something on his datapad. “They’re gonna be awhile—all _his_ kids drew pictures for _your_ kid. Want to help me get this stuff inside, and get the Alderaan Stew heated up?”

“Sure,” he said, glad for some time with just her—which he guessed was Paz’s intent all along.

She put her hands on the cart’s handle, and his eyes widened beneath his helmet as he noticed something. “You…..have vambraces.”

She smiled. “Yeah, Bryn made them for me. She and Jos and Jerem worked all afternoon to finish after they found out I was leaving. She thought they might come in handy, with the baby and all. I’ve got contacts for the Tribe’s comm system, and your non-Tribe cousins set up in case I have questions while you’re sleeping—or in case we get separated for any reason.”

“That’s……good. What else did she put on them?”

Since he already knew most of the functions, he focused on the various expressions of Cara’s face as she described them, adding witty commentary on her crash course in learning how this new accessory worked. He had missed her so much in the weeks they’d been separated, even with daily holocalls—but being here, together, gave him a sense of contentment he hadn’t felt since he’d left her behind on Nevarro.

‘Woohoo, Din, you awake in there, buddy?” she asked, waving a hand in front of his visor.”

He blushed beneath his helmet. “Oh—sorry—what were you saying?”

“I was _saying_ we need to get moving—now help me get this thing up the ramp. I’m strong, but I’m not Paz strong.”

Din chuckled as he added his hands to the cart and they started pushing. _No one_ is Paz strong—except maybe a Wookiee.”

“I heard that!” Paz said from behind them—and the two of them looked at each other and laughed.

* * *

Paz left an hour or so after they’d finished dinner, and with the baby asleep--medicated and full of pureed stew--Cara followed Din up to the cockpit to set the course for Zelik. According to the navicomputer, they should arrive in about ten hours, which would give them some time to get landed and settled before their meeting.

As they made the jump to hyperspace a few minutes later, Cara sat back in the copilot’s seat and smiled. ‘You know, I’ve really missed this.”

“Yeah, me too,” he replied, stifling a yawn.

  
“Din, why don’t you go to bed?” she asked him. “Ship’s good, kid’s good—and I know you’re tired.”

“I thought we were going over the relocation stats,” he said, sounding disappointed.

“I said we _could_ , if you’re not too tired—but you clearly _are_ ,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Besides, you said the Tribe probably won’t do the actual call for a day or two after we hear from Ana and Alec—and they just got back. We can go over everything tomorrow after lunch, and you’ll be fine.”

He sighed. “Judging by the size of the file, there’s a lot of information to consider in just half a day.”

She shrugged. “Okay—how bout this? _You_ go get your beauty sleep—and _I’ll_ start skimming, so I’ll at least know some basic information. Tomorrow I’ll give you a quick rundown over breakfast, we’ll go see your cousin and her Jedi friends, have lunch with them, and then really dig into all the details while the kid naps. Sound good?”

There was no response.

“Din,” she said, nudging him with the toe of her socked foot.

“Hhhmmph?” he mumbled, making her laugh and nudge him a little harder.

“I just outlined my whole plan for you to go to sleep _now_ , and still be ridiculously productive tomorrow—and you slept through it! Know what that tells me? That you need to sleep even worse than I thought!” She stood, and held out an arm to him. “Here, need a hand?”

He took it, and she half-pulled him to his feet—but he didn’t let go once he was standing. Instead, he reached down and took her other hand in his.

“Cara…..thank you…..for everything,” he said. “I feel like a holomessage stuck on repeat—but your help, in so _many_ things, means a lot to me.”

She smiled, relishing the fact that she was here, with him in person—and that they were _holding hands_. “You think of anything else I can do, let me know,” she said, giving his hands a squeeze. “I don’t care what it is, or what time it is—you need me, you come get me—or even comm me, if that works better. Now get going before you fall asleep where you’re standing and I have to carry you down the ladder.”

Without warning, she found herself pulled into another hug.

_I could get used to this._

She closed her eyes, and lay her head on his shoulder for just a moment before he released her. “File’s open on my datapad—it’s in the galley on the table. Don’t stay up too late.”

She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Goodnight Din—rest well.”

Once he was gone, she sat down and opened the file, her feet curled up on the bench beside her. She decided to first figure out the format of the information Jerem had gathered. She found it to be well-organized and to the point—and was _very_ impressed by the fact that it had all been done by a thirteen-year-old.

After a few minutes, she found that one reason for the large file size was all the images and graphics he’d included. There was even a master sheet that had various features, such as climate, local area population, and distance to needed resources, for all five locations the Tribe was considering.

When Cara found herself dozing off while reading about the Lothal spaceport, she put the datapad in standby mode, and went to change into her sleep clothes. She grabbed her toiletry bag and quietly made her way to the refresher, hoping the sound of running water wouldn’t wake Din or the baby. When she emerged, she could still hear two sets of snores, one deep and one squeaky, through the closed door to the sleeping compartment. She smiled, feeling a warm sense of peace as she climbed back to the upper level, where her own bed was on opposite side of the galley from the cockpit. Din had left her several extra blankets, and she placed the two thickest ones on top the mattress for extra cushioning. Then she lay down and curled up beneath the other two, and was asleep in less than five minutes.

She was awakened by a mournful wail less than two hours later, and wrapped herself in the top blanket as she rolled out of bed. Remembering Dara’s instructions from when she and Paz had called the Tribe’s healer earlier, she grabbed another frozen teething ring as she passed through the galley, then climbed down the ladder--and nearly crashed into Din as she turned around into the darkened area.

He jumped back a couple of steps. “Cara! I was just…..”

“I brought him……here,” she said, holding out the frosted ring shaped like the outline of a bantha’s head. “Did you give him any more medicine?”

Din took the toy and gave it to the little one, who quieted a bit once the cold hit his sore gums. “Yes—but I think he has a fever again, so it might be awhile before he feels like going back to sleep. I’m sorry he woke you, I…..”

“Din, that’s what I’m _here_ for,” she said, trying to be gentle even though she was slightly frustrated at his apology. “I worked the late shift last night, and slept in this morning. I’m fine—but you’re _not_. So why don’t you let _me_ take him for awhile, so you can rest? I’ll even take him up to my room so it’s quieter down here.” The wails had decreased to fussy whining, and for some reason she couldn’t explain, it almost made _her_ teary.

He sighed. “You might take him into the cockpit—he likes to look out the viewport into hyperspace while he’s trying to fall asleep.”

She smiled, and gently knocked the back of his hand with hers. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” She took the baby from his arms, and said, “Come on, sweet boy—want to go see the pretty lights and clouds while we wait for you to feel better?”

The baby looked up at her from his blanket cocoon, and cooed. She gently touched her forehead to his, like Bryn and Paz did with their kids, then used a corner of his blanket to dry the remaining tears from his little face. Then she gathered him close to her before climbing back up the ladder.

* * *

When Din woke up a few hours later he quickly realized his sleeping compartment was too quiet. The baby wasn’t on his chest, or in his makeshift bed in the crate. A sense of dread filled him for a good five seconds—until he remembered Cara was there, and she had the little one with her.

He put on his helmet and made a quick stop in the refresher before climbing up to the ship’s second level. The door to the cockpit was open, and the sight there filled him with so much of what he now recognized as love, that it took his breath away.

Cara was sitting in the copilot’s seat, with her balled-up blanket acting as a makeshift pillow against the ship’s wall. She had swiveled the pilot’s seat so that her legs were stretched out in front of her at a slight angle. The baby was cradled against her, supported by the seat’s armrest and the wall, with her tattooed arm holding him in place. Both were sound asleep.

Din smiled tenderly beneath his helmet. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around both of them and never let them go.

“Cara?” he said softly, keeping his distance because he knew she sometimes woke up punching.

“Hmmm?” she responded, cracking an eye open.

“You’re gonna have a sore neck if you keep sleeping like that. Why don’t you go lie down, and I’ll go ahead and take him with me.

She sighed, and slowly stood, careful not to disturb the still-sleeping baby in her arms. “What time is it?” she mumbled.

“Almost five. We’ll be in hyperspace for another hour and a half or so.”

“Six-thirty—he should be ready for another dose of medicine by then. You were right about hyperspace, though--only took him about twenty minutes to fall asleep, and he’s been out since,” she said smiling sleepily.

Din held out his arms for the baby, who sighed contentedly as he snuggled close. “Looks like he’s not the only one it worked on.”

She shrugged. “It’s kind of hypnotizing. I didn’t even realize I was nodding off, too.”

Her eyes met his again, and they just looked at each other for a good ten seconds. That intense look was back—but this was neither the time nor the place to figure out what it meant. “I’m going to try to get a little more sleep myself. Want me to wake you when I come back up?”

“You can--and if I’m not ready to get up, I’ll throw my boot at you,” she said, giving him a wink before her expression softened. “You feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you. I know it takes a few days to catch up on lost sleep—but even those few hours helped a lot.”

“Well, go get some more—it’s good stuff,” she said, then gave him another sleepy smile and a wave as she headed to her bunk.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all—they’re finally together—in person, not just on a holocall! And they hugged…..and held hands……..and he realized he loves her (though the poor man is too tired to fully process that fact at this point……)! Also, Cara is SUCH a mama in this chapter!
> 
> Paz is a sweet big brother—and a good wingman—but part of him is still ten years old, and likes to tease his little brother about girls XD And yes, Bryn DID make armor for her future sister……uh, friend ;) Also, Kyri……makes things interesting, and keeps her parents on their toes! 
> 
> Next chapter our little family-in-the-making will be meeting up with Sabine, Ezra and Ahsoka to talk Jedi stuff—and Din finally feels ready to take a big step (no, not that one….no yet, at least ;) )--you may need some tissues for that last part (but in a good way!)
> 
> Reviews are hugs from someone you just figured out you're in love with! 🥰


	8. The Vow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din finally processes his ‘aha’ moment, Ahsoka and Ezra share some new information….and Cara and Sabine get to see something very special happen!
> 
> **Warning—major spoilers for ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2, Episode 5 (Chapter 13)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to my story--it's been awhile, but I finally conquered this Krait Dragon of a chapter--but more on that later. Thanks for all the kudos and reviews--and for just reading! Hopefully this chapter will be worth the long wait!
> 
> Just in case you missed it in the notes--if you haven't seen Season 2 Episode 5 (Chapter 13), either go watch it before reading, or prepare to have a major plot point spoiled--don't say I didn't warn you 😉

* * *

Din sat on his bed, taking a moment to admire the beauty of polished Beskar after an overdue shine. Cara had offered to keep the baby occupied in the galley, so he could have some ‘helmet-free’ time on the ship’s lower level as he prepared himself, physically and mentally, for their meeting with Sabine and her _Jetti_ companions.

Cara had been on the ship for little more than half a day cycle, but the difference it had made in his life so far was remarkable. The baby had been uncharacteristically clingy since he’d started teething—but now Din could take a shower or prepare a meal without dreading the tears that had become inevitable every time he was out of the little one’s sight for more than a few minutes.

Not only that, but it was nice having another adult to talk to, especially now that Paz was back home on Nevarro. Din had always kept his social circle small, but the idea of being away from his Tribe and family for an indeterminate amount of time seemed to magnify the sense of loneliness he was usually able to keep at bay. And having Cara back on the ship, even temporarily, meant there was someone to share responsibilities, but also the many cute and humorous moments that came from having a baby on board. On top of that, she’d met his family, and had become acquainted with a number of others from the Tribe through fielding their calls, so he could talk freely about his life outside bounty hunting—knowing she would keep the things closest to his heart to herself.

And then, of course, there was the conclusion he’d come to in the sleepy haze of the previous night—that he loved her.

He wasn’t sure what to do with that. He’d had crushes as a child and teenager, but his personal, stringent commitment to the Fighting Corps had kept him from acting on them even after he reached the traditional dating age of sixteen. When he’d finally left the Corps at twenty-three, the transient nature of bounty hunting had kept him from staying in one place for long—though he’d never met anyone who’d made him _want_ to. Maybe if the Purge hadn’t happened—if he’d been able to live on Sundari, with a steady life and steady job—he might’ve met a woman with whom to share his life. But the Purge _had_ happened, and there was no use thinking about ‘what-ifs’ ten years after the fact.

Din knew he was extremely fortunate to have been brought up in _two_ loving families. Both his birth parents and the Vizslas had loved each other dearly, which had set a high standard for what he wanted in a relationship of his own, should the opportunity arise. And now, with his hopes of adopting the kid moving ever closer to reality, he knew it was even more important to choose a woman that would help him create the same sense of love and security for the little guy.

And that was the confusing part. Cara had told him she didn’t ‘do the baby thing’—but she’d come to do just that by helping him out. She’d fed the little guy, and helped Din give him a bath—and he was almost certain he’d heard her _singing_ to the tired toddler just before he’d fallen asleep himself the night before. Maybe it wasn’t something she’d be interested in long-term—but the contrast between her words and actions made him wonder what might be going on beneath the surface.

He was pulled from his thoughts as the comm chime sounded on his vambrace, and he quickly put on his helmet before answering.

“Hey, we’re just finishing shut-down, and Ahsoka’s landing now,” Sabine told him. Her smile softened. “How’s my little green buddy feeling this morning?”

Din gave an answering smile beneath his helmet. “Better. Paz took a look at his teeth last night, and said they’re almost through. Little womp rat woke up happy from his morning nap, and now he’s coloring with Cara. He should be in a good mood for our visit.”

Sabine’s face lit up. “Ah, an artist! Must be the Wren in him,” she said with a wink. “I can comm Ahsoka and tell her to meet at your ship instead. If he’s having a good time, there’s no need to disrupt the creative process.”

“ _Baaaaaad_ idea—trust me,” Ezra added, which earned him a laughing elbow to the ribs from his wife.

“What about lunch?” Din asked. Ezra had offered to prepare a Lothali shrimp dish that sounded _almost_ as good as _tiingilar_.

The blue-haired man grinned widely. “All the prep work is done—I just have to stick in in the pan for a few minutes when we’re ready to eat.”

“I don’t want to inconvenience…..”

“Din, I _promise_ you it’s okay,” Sabine insisted. We _all_ know how toddlers and transitions to new activities can go. Making the change is nothing to us—but it could mean a _lot_ to _him_.”

Din nodded. “All right. It’ll be a tight fit in the galley, but we’ll make it work.

Her smile made his heart ache, because it reminded him _so_ much of his adoptive mother. “Great—we should be there in ten, maybe fifteen minutes. If he wants to keep coloring, awesome. If he’s ready to move on to something else, we’ll take it from there.”

“Thank you for being so understanding—I really appreciate it,” Din said gratefully.”

“ _Aliit baatir par ali_ _it,”_ she replied, echoing Paz’s use of the phrase the night before.

* * *

“Okay, let’s try this again— _Boo-eeer_ ” Cara said, purposefully overenunciating the Mando’a word for _father_. The Vizsla kids had sent the baby some of their color sticks, and he was happily making use of them at the galley’s small table.

“Ba?” he replied, looking confused.

“No, silly— _buir_. It means ‘daddy’—but it’s in _his_ language—so it’ll mean more to him when you say it. Can you try again? _Buir_.”

“ _Boo_.”

She shrugged. “Hey, it’s a start—and who knows, maybe that’s how _all_ little Mandos start out. Can you say it again?”

_“Boo!”_

“Good job!” she replied, earning a giggle as she tickled under his chin. “One more time?”

_“Boo!”_

“Yay!” She clapped her hands, and he did the same. “Now that we know that you _can_ say it, we need to work on saying it _to_ him.” She heard the sound of the sleeping compartment opening on the lower level, and two big green ears perked up.

“Do you hear him? Do you hear your _buir_?” she whispered.

“Boo!” he exclaimed, giving Cara a toothy grin that warmed her heart.

“Good, buddy! Now you just have to say it when he comes up here, all right?”

He shook his head. “No.”

She laughed. “I’m not sure if you say stuff like that because you _don’t_ understand—or because you _do_.” 

The slight change in pressure let her know the ship’s hatch was opening below, and she called down to Din, “Hey buddy, you should’ve told me they’re here—we’ll be down in a minute.”

“No need—they’re coming up there.”

Cara looked around the small space. “You think we’ll all fit?”

“Sabine insisted he should keep coloring—and some of us can spill over into the cockpit if we need to.”

She shrugged. “Suits me.”

“No,” the baby said, looking up at her for a moment before he refocused on the task at hand—scribbling a large yellow spot in the center of the page.

She smirked. “So….you want me to stay in here with you?”

“No.” He floated a purple color stick over to her.

“Do you want me to color?”

“No.” He shot her a toothy grin, and pushed a sheet of flimsiplast in her direction.

Cara thought for a moment. “Do you……want to have frogs for lunch?”

“No.”

She laughed, tickling his little round belly. “I _know_ that one’s a lie!”

He laughed for a few seconds before his ears perked up again at the sound of new voices below. “Ba?”

“Yep. Your cousin and her Force friends are here. They’re gonna talk to you about your powers, and teach you to use them in _good_ ways. And _Buir_ and I will be right here with you so we can learn, too,” she said, placing a kiss on the wrinkled green heart of his forehead.

“I hear we’ve got a budding artist up here!” a female voice rang out from the ladder. A few seconds later, a bright pinkish-orange head emerged, amber eyes twinkling as her face lit up with an adoring smile at the sight of the baby.

“Look, it’s your cousin, Sabine!” Cara said to him, standing to grasp the other woman’s wrist.

The Mandalorian woman knelt next to his seat, so their eyes were almost level. “Hi little guy, are you having fun?”

He held up a green color stick, and Cara could practically _see_ the woman’s heart melting.

“You don’t have to ask me twice!” She sat down across from Cara, and immediately started sketching out a graffiti-style portrait of the baby.

“Hey, I wanna color, too!” a male voice said from the doorway. “Can I have blue?”

“Boo?” the baby asked.

“Hey, you said it—good job!” Ezra said. He exchanged a brief greeting with Cara before sitting beside his wife on the opposite side of the table.

“Got room for two more?” Ahsoka asked, waving from the doorway.

The baby gave a happy shriek, and floated more art supplies in her direction. She handed a sheet of flimsi to Din, who was standing behind her, and held up the two colorsticks in a silent invitation to choose one.

“I’ll take red,” he responded, and sat next to Cara as Ahsoka sat on a tall crate at the opposite end of the table from the baby. “How is the Tribe doing?” he asked Sabine and Ezra.

“Better, I think,” Sabine replied as she used a pink colorstick to shade the inside of the baby’s ears. “Some of the adults swear they have no artistic talent—but Dad and I have done a couple of guided painting classes, where they see how to break it down step by step—and it’s a much-needed reminder that they _can_ do hard things. Same for Ezra and his meditation sessions.”

The blue-haired man nodded. “It’s been really good. Jedi and Mandalorians actually have a few shared beliefs—so sometimes it’s as simple as just changing up terminology to make it more familiar. It’s also been encouraging because some of the people who were unaccounted for have come back—and a couple more are heading back to Nevarro.”

“Really?” Din asked, and Cara had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing when the baby scowled at him because he’d stopped coloring.

“Yeah, a young couple who already adopted two Foundling siblings, and a tall guy—Ace, I think? They all came back the day we left…….and the lady who has her two nephews was _pretty_ happy about that,” Ezra replied with a smirk.

Din chuckled. “Axe and Reza have been dancing around each other for _months_ , according to Paz.”

Cara snorted with laughter, “So you and your brother sit around and gossip about Tribe romances like old mother nunas?” she teased.

“As _beroya_ , it’s important that I know what’s going on,” he replied, then quickly changed the subject by asking, “Do you know who was going to Nevarro?”

Sabine nodded. “Two sisters, a few years younger than me, according to Ana. Jeni and…...”

“Koska,” Din supplied. “Jos will be glad--Koska was helping her prepare for her _ani kar’ta_ —which will be happening in another month or so.”

“So it’s like a ceremony?” Ezra asked, looking confused. “How come no one told _me_ about that? Is that something I’ll have to do later?”

Sabine placed a hand on his shoulder. “ _You_ don’t have to do it because you became a Mandalorian as an adult. For those who swear the Creed of the _Resol’nare_ at thirteen, it’s a ceremony that certifies them as adults in Mandalorian society—usually when they turn eighteen.”

“Did…..you do that…..at some point?” he asked. “I know you were still on the _Ghost_ with us when you were eighteen.”

Sabine’s expression instantly became solemn. “I did…..after you left, but before the Purge. It was really special…..like things had finally come full circle, in more ways than one. That’s actually when I changed my armor to the design I had when we found you.”

Ezra gave her a smile so full of love that it made Cara’s heart clench. “That one was nice-—but I kinda like the new one better,” he said, touching a small blue Loth cat the exact shade of his eyes on her pauldron.

“Ugh, newlyweds,” Ahsoka teased, rolling her eyes while trying not to laugh. “If you two are going to be all mushy, can I at least have the blue colorstick? I need it for my lightsaber blade.

“Sure,” Ezra said, floating it over to her.”

The baby’s face broke out in a wide grin.

“See, we can do that, too,” Ahsoka said, floating Cara’s purple over to Sabine, who quickly signed her latest work and held it up for the little one to see.

“Look, it’s you!” she said.

“Gu!” he exclaimed.

“Good job, kid—you learned another new sound!” Din exclaimed.

The baby whined, and reached his arms up, showing that he wanted out of his seat.

“Okay buddy, I gotcha,” Cara said, lifting him out—but was surprised when, instead of being content on her lap, or even Din’s, he reached for Ahsoka.

“Hello little one--would you like to sit with us?” she asked.

The baby smiled, and once Din had passed him to the Togruta, he stretched his feet downward until they touched the table—then plopped himself down between her and Ezra.

“Is there something you want to tell us?” Ahsoka asked him, holding out a hand.

The little one wrapped his own tiny hand around two of her fingers, then held out the other to Ezra, indicating he wanted him to do the same. Then he began to chatter, in what sounded like baby talk—but from the nods and encouraging smiles the two adults gave him, Cara was pretty sure there was more going on than that.

“What are they doing?” Din whispered, making her startle—and realize how close he was to her on the narrow bench.

“I don’t know—just go with it. If they can understand what he’s saying, maybe we’ll learn something. It’s okay,” she said, lacing their fingers together beneath the table.

After ten minutes or so, the baby let go of their fingers, and reached toward Din, who gathered him close with his free arm while still holding Cara’s hand.

“Well……he’s got a lot to say, _that’s_ for sure. But since it’s been over thirty years since he was around someone who _could_ understand him, I guess it only makes sense.” Ezra told them.

“Thirty years…..that’s almost my entire _life_ ,” Sabine replied sadly.

Cara could feel Din’s hand trembling in hers, and she stroked the back of it with her thumb in hopes of giving him comfort. “What happened?” she asked.

“He was raised in the Jedi temple on Coruscant, just like I was—though I don’t remember him,” Ahsoka said. “Maybe my Master would have, since they were around the same age.”

“So, did _he_ have a Master?” Sabine asked.

“He was trained by a number of Masters over the years…..at least until Order 66 happened, and he was taken from the Temple…..and had to hide to survive.”

“Like Kanan,” Ezra said sadly.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Din told the baby softly, and the sad _coo_ he got in response made Cara’s heart hurt.

“What about the years since then?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“His memories of that time are dark—it’s like they’re barely even there--until you found him,” Ahsoka said to Din. “Then…..it’s almost like he came back alive.”

Cara looked down at their joined hands, swallowing hard as her vision blurred. _Not here….not now_ she told herself—until Sabine sniffled across the table, and that was it. _When did I become so soft?_ she thought, even though she knew the answer.

It was the day a Beskar-clad man and a tiny green baby with big ears walked into her life….and now, she admitted, they had somehow made their way past the carefully constructed barricades she’d built since Alderaan’s destruction—and made their way fully into her heart.

“You know why he said ‘gu’” when Sabine showed him her drawing?” Ezra asked, his smile soft.

“Why?” Din asked, barely more than a whisper.

“It’s his name…..or part of it,” the man said.

“His _name_? He told you…..what _is_ it?”

Ezra’s smile grew even bigger. “Grogu. His name is Grogu.”

“Grogu,” Din said, his voice filled with wonder—and the little guy’s ears immediately perked up as his face shone with a toothy grin.

“Boo.”

Din froze.

“Did he just…?” Sabine asked.

Cara nodded, her throat so tight it took a few moments before she could speak. “I taught him to say it right before you got here this morning—but he refused to……until now.”

“It makes sense,” Ahsoka said softly, looking up at Din. “He sees you as his father.”

A sound, somewhere between a squeak and a sob, came from the armored man beside Cara.

Ezra cleared his throat. “I think it might be time to get started on lunch—anyone want to help me?”

“Sure,” Ahsoka said hastily, giving Grogu a quick pat on the head before following her friend out of the galley.

“I’m just gonna…..” Sabine said, her voice almost squeaky.

“Stay,” Din choked out, his breathing hard and unsteady.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You’re family….and……it’s time I…… _past_ time, really.”

Something inside Cara shattered, and she knew she had to get out quick before she completely lost it—because despite the feelings she had for both Din and Grogu—she wasn’t family. To her surprise, as she started to stand, she was quickly halted as Din’s hand tightened around hers.

“No!” he replied, sounding almost panicked. “I mean…..I want you here for this, too.” He took the baby from his seat, and stood him on the table in front of them, taking his tiny hand before lacing the other with Cara’s again.

“Want…..want me to come over there?” Sabine asked, tears freely flowing down her cheeks now.

“Yes.”

Cara slid over a bit, to make a little more room on the cramped bench, and Sabine squeezed in at the opposite end.

Din took a deep, shaky breath. “I’m going to say the adoption vow…..and give him a name as an official part of my clan.”

Cara closed her eyes, leaning her head against his right pauldron as she let out a sob. _I love you both…….so, so much,_ she thought.

Grogu watched the three adults with curiosity. He seemed to understand that they were all happy—but _didn’t_ understand why they were crying.

After a few minutes, Din composed himself enough to speak. “This vow is knowm in our culture as the _‘Gai bal manda’_ —which means ‘name and soul’. It’s very simple—all I do is say the words, which translate to ‘I know your name as my child’, and say his name, followed by the name of my Clan and House.”

The thought of his house—House Viszla, made Cara’s teary eyes widen. “What about Paz….and Bryn and the kids? Won’t they be disappointed that you didn’t wait for them?”

Sabine shook her head. “Aside from the Creed of the _Resol’nare_ , which covers the Six Tenets that define us as Mandalorians, our most important vows are for adoption and marriage—and they’re very direct, in case they need to be performed during wartime. No paperwork, no witnesses—just a promise to those directly involved.” The tears she’d been momentarily able to push back returned as she spoke the next words. “As Nula, Din’s mother, said…..they’re beautifully simple….and simply beautiful.”

Din gave a watery chuckle. “Let’s just call it payback for the fact that I wasn’t there when they adopted Ajay and Nima.”

Sabine sniffled again, but she was smiling. “My mom and Ana are already planning a party for him—and I’m pretty sure Bryn’s in on it, too. That’s another common thing—to have a reception of some kind later, to introduce the newcomer to the larger group of friends and family.”

Cara nodded. “If they’re happy, I’m happy.”

Din gave her hand one more squeeze before placing the other one on the table, where Grogu quickly wrapped his tiny hand around his soon-to-be-official father’s fingers.

“ _Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad_ , Grogu of Clan Djarin, House Vizsla.”

“Boo!” Grogu exclaimed happily, and Din quickly gathered him close in another hug.

“I love you, son……I love you so much……I always will, beyond this life…….and into the _manda,_ ” he managed, touching his forehead to the baby’s. “Do…..do you want to see my face now?” he asked hesitantly

The answer was an eager nod.

“I guess Cara and I can head over to out ship and help finish lunch prep,” Sabine said. “That way you don’t have to cram yourself into the refresher or your bunk for him to see you.”

Din nodded. “All right, I’ll see you then. Thank you for staying,” he said.

The brightly-colored woman tapped a finger on the Grogu’s nose, which earned her a giggle. “Welcome to the family, little guy,” she said, then, after a moment’s hesitation, stood and gave Din a brief hug. ‘Congratulations, _buir_ ,” she said before heading toward the ladder.

Cara leaned forward, and gave Grogu another kiss on the forehead before throwing her arms around Din in a tight embrace. “I’m so happy…..for both of you,” she said, smiling as she wiped her eyes, looking from baby’s big brown eyes to his father’s black visor. “Congratulations. How’s it feel to be an official dad now?” she asked.

“It feels……good. _Really_ good. But this helmet…not so much right now. It’s a little…..soggy inside.”

She pulled back, taking his hand again. “Take your time…..but not _too_ much, or you might not get any lunch,” she teased, and gave him a wink.

He chuckled. “I’ll believe _that_ when I see it.”

* * *

Once Cara left, Din quickly ducked into her room to dry his face and helmet. When he’d finished, he returned to the galley, where Grogu was now scribbling on Ezra’s unfinished drawing of a Mythosaur.

“You can draw on that one—but I’m having the one Sabine did framed.”

“Eh?” Grogu asked.

“I’ll try to explain it to you a little better when you’re older……but for now……” Din trailed off, and after taking a deep breath, released the air lock on his helmet. Just as today had been the first time anyone had used Grogu’s name since the Empire became a thing, it had been almost as long since a living being had seen _his_ face.

“You sure you’re ready for this, _ad’ika_?” he asked softly, feeling a bit choked up again.

”Ba!” Grogu responded.

Din slowly lifted his helmet, feeling _right_ about it as his chin, nose, eyes, and finally hair were revealed to his son. He lowered his head, so that it was at the baby’s eye level.

“Hello, Grogu,” he said

“Boo!” Grogu replied, giggling as he reached out a hand to touch Din’s cheeks, then his ears, then his hair, before finally placing a finger on his lips.

Din gave the tiny finger a quick kiss. It was the first time his lips had touched another being since before he joined the Fighting Corps. “Yeah, I look a lot different than you, don’t I? I…..hope you’re not disappointed.”

“Boo,” Grogu replied, in a tone filled with love and affection. He then proceeded to place his own open-mouthed kiss on Din’s cheek—the way Din remembered baby Sabine doing back when he was a boy of ten or eleven.

“Eeee?”

Din studied his son, confused. “What?”

“Eeee!” he said, pointing to the cupboard on the wall above Din’s head.

“No, we’re not eating here today. Your new buddy—or I guess he’s a cousin by marriage now—Ezra, is making lunch for us.” Din looked down in annoyance as his own stomach growled. “It’s definitely time to eat, but if you want to stay a little longer to….”

“EEEEEE!” Grogu insisted, giving his father a toothy grin.

Din laughed, and slipped his helmet back on. “Yes, let’s go eat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s official—Grogu has a name in canon, and is officially part of Clan Djarin/House Vizsla in this story now!💚💚💚 I was expecting a Y name, because of Yoda and Yaddle….but Grogu is growing on me….and I’m So glad that that I don’t have to just keep calling him ‘the baby’ or ‘the little one’, haha!
> 
> This chapter took waaaaay longer than I anticipated—over six weeks, when I’d been getting a new one out in about two! I had Jedi visit/name/adoption plans for this one all along—but it just wasn’t working until Chapter 13 aired—and then everything clicked, and I was able to write over 15 pages in a little more than a day after watching (which I don’t think has ever happened!) What took so long to post is that I spent over a week trying to add in a scene after the last one—but nothing worked, so I went with my original instinct to cut it off as is (even though it’s a ‘short’ chapter for me, at all of 24 pages 😉 )
> 
> In addition to the family feels (with even some extended family thrown in!) we also got more Caradin….including the fact that both acknowledge to themselves that they love the other—which is progress, right? 🥰
> 
> Annnnnddddddd...some other Season 2 characters...as part of the Tribe? Yeah, we're so far from the canon line now that it's a dot—and I’m fine with that 😉
> 
> Speaking of the Tribe…..we’ll be hearing from them again next chapter. I’m excited, because I’ve missed them so much!
> 
> Reviews are holding hands and coloring with those you looooove!😍


	9. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reeves sisters learn something that could change things for the Tribe, Bryn and Paz make a big decision—and Cara learns something that will definitely change things for Din and Grogu!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in spite of some of my past Tumblr posts, there is some family fluff and googly eyes in this chapter after all—but please be advised that this one starts out on the heavy side. It contains a panic attack and some vague passing references to a couple of past nonconsensual things involving a teenager. If you’d like, you can skip the italicized section between the sets of double lines in the first scene. The whole section is only four lines, so it’s in no way detailed—but I wanted to make sure y’all were aware of it, just in case. It starts after ‘And then she remembered’ and ends with ‘Koska, can you hear me?’ I'm not sure if I should change the warnings or not--so if you're more well-versed in such things, please let me know in the comments, and I'll make adjustments accordingly.
> 
> Now, onto the chapter—you’ve all waited long enough!

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

Koska shifted her blanket so that one eye peeked out just enough to glare at her younger sister, who was sitting at the foot of the bunk. However, in doing so, she caught a whiff of most wonderful aroma in the galaxy.

“Is that _caf_?” she asked hopefully, her voice still heavy with sleep.

Jeni laughed, her chin-length curls bobbing as she nodded. “Yep. I got tired of you grumping around every morning, so I made my _own_ supply run to the caf shop next door while you were getting _your_ stuff yesterday.”

Koska groaned as she sat up, reaching out for the mug in her sister’s hand. “I’m not _that_ bad.”

“I beg to differ—and Dad agreed with me,” Jeni replied.

“’You were a night owl long before you were a Nite Owl’” Koska quoted, smiling wistfully before taking her first sip.

Jeni sighed, and Koska could see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “I still can’t believe he’s _gone_ ,” she said, voice breaking on the last word.

Koska scooted down toward her sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I know—neither can I. But I _am_ glad we’re getting to go through his stuff before everyone else comes back. I think it’ll be easier that way,” she said, trying to convince herself.

Jeni sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I guess you’re right—but even if he was still alive, it would be hard—to go back there, where……”

“Yeah,” Koska replied shortly, burning her tongue as she took a sip without blowing it first. “How ‘bout we _don’t_ talk about that? It’s too early, and my head _already_ hurts.”

“Sorry,” Jeni replied, taking her sister’s hand. “Do you want me to bring you some….”

A chime sounded from the cockpit, letting them know they’d soon be exiting hyperspace. 

“Guess I better get up there. You coming?” Jeni asked.

“Gotta hit the ‘fresher first—be there in a few. Can you take my caf for me?” Koska asked as she placed the lid on her mug.

“Sure.” Jeni leaned over and rested her head on her Koska’s shoulder. “Love you, Kos.”

“Love you too, Jen. It’s gonna be all right,” she said, as much to herself as her sister. She forced a smile. “At least we get Paz’s casserole and hot showers today, huh?”

Jeni smiled, and wiped her eyes again. “Yeah, there’s that. And, we have each other.”

Koska chuckled, and elbowed her sister. “You’re such a sap. Now get going before we hit a moon or something.”

Jeni laughed. “Yes ma’am!” she said with a salute.

Ten minutes later, Koska joined her sister in the cockpit, fully dressed and carrying her helmet—just in case.

“You added some more braids—I like it,” Jeni said

Koska took a sip of her caf, which was now at the perfect temperature, then popped a couple of mild painkillers for her aching head. “Thanks. I had this weird little section that was sticking out, and wouldn’t curl no matter how much I twisted it—so I thought this was a good way to deal with it.”

“It kinda reminds me of that holo of Mom when she was pregnant with you—in…..”

“…….the woods near the estate, next to the waterfall,” Koska finished with a fond smile. “She always wanted to take me back there, and take _my_ holo when I was the same age—but that’s kinda hard when……”

“Hey, what’s _that_?” Jeni cut her off, pointing to a spot in the mountains below. It caught the morning sun in a way that differed from its surroundings.

Koska studied it for a moment. “Don’t know--I’ve never actually seen Nevarro in daylight before.”

“So….want to take a closer look? Bryn and Paz aren’t expecting us for another half hour.” Jeni studied…..whatever it was, for several moments. “Looks kind of shiny. You think it could be a lake, like the ones in the mountains back on Kalevala?”

Koska shrugged. “I doubt it. This place has a completely different type of terrain. I’m not sure mountain lakes like that would coexist this close to a lava river.”

“Maybe we’ll ask Jerem—Ana said he did an _amazing_ job on the relocation report. And if he doesn’t you _know_ Jared would.”

Koska nodded, but her attention was no longer focused on the conversation. The closer they got, the more certain she was that whatever they were looking at _wasn’t_ a lake. In fact, it didn’t look natural at all—and the sense of familiarity she’d experienced at first sight became a growing sense of dread, until she finally recognized the location in question for what it was.

“Jen, we need to go.”

Jeni looked up from the ship’s controls, her forehead wrinkled in concern. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Koska’s heart was pounding, so fast that it physically _hurt_. “We have to go—we have to get away. They _can’t_ find me. I can’t go back,”

“What are you _taking_ about?”

“ _Dank farrik_ , just get out of here!” she shouted.

“O…..okay,” Jeni said timidly. I’ll take us back to the Co…”

Koska shook her head. “NO! They’ll know we’re still……..they’ll get the kids…….they’ll make them go, too!”

“ _Who_ will? You’re not making any sense!” Jeni shouted back.

“Just get us off this fragging planet, or I swear I’ll stun you and do it myself!” Koska shouted back, just before the nausea reached a breaking point, and she quickly unbuckled her restraints before running for the refresher again.

She’d just made it to the door when her vision started graying—then faded to black.

* * *

“Jeni?” Koska mumbled as consciousness returned, and she slowly opened her eyes. The ship’s interior lights had been dimmed, so all she could really see were a few vague shadows. There was a pillow under her head, and her favorite blanket, dark blue printed with owls, had been loosely draped over the lower half of her body.

“She’s in the cockpit, talking to Dara on the ship’s comm,” a voice spoke from her vambrace.

“Ana!” she gasped. “I don’t have my hel……”

“Don’t worry—I’m not on holo, just regular comm. How are you feeling?”

“Everything _hurts_.” Koska closed her eyes, the strain of trying to see not worth the effort. “What happened? Why am I on the _floor_?” Not that she had the energy to get up.

Ana sighed. “Well, from what Jeni told Dara and I, and based on the results of the scan she did……sounds like you had a panic attack and blacked out.”

Koska’s body suddenly went hot with anger. “ _What?_ I haven’t had one of those in……eight, nine years? And I’ve _never_ blacked out before! Why would I……”

And then she remembered.

* * *

* * *

_Stop your whining, girl, this is the best thing to ever happen in your pathetic life. Your piloting skills are wasted on that backwater planet—but you play your cards right, and our instructors will have you flying a TIE before you turn thirteen._

_Don’t let her win, Reeves—finish her off, if you have to._

_I thought you wanted to be an officer, beautiful—and this is the part of the initiation process._

_We found out what was causing your nausea and dizziness—but the matter has been resolved. You should be flying again within a week._

* * *

* * *

“Koska, can you hear me?” Ana’s calm, even voice spoke through the nightmares of the past, and pulled her back into the present.

“Yeah,” Koska managed between chattering teeth, her entire body covered in a cold sweat.

“Okay, good. Your breathing was getting fast there for a minute—so try to focus on matching it to mine so we can get it back down, all right?”

Koska could only nod, and closed her eyes as she focused on the sound of slow, even breaths through her comm. After a good two minutes of trying to replicate Ana’s breathing pattern, she started to feel a little more real—but her exhaustion seemed to have increased tenfold, and every muscle in her body ached from tension.

“Feeling any better?”

“I can breathe again—but……” Koska paused, her throat tight. She swallowed, willing herself to stay composed.

“But what, sweetie?” Ana’s tone was as gentle and understanding as if she were talking to her own six-year-old, and suddenly Koska missed her mother like she hadn’t in years.

“I…….I know why you and Alec didn’t find any Star Destroyers.” She pulled her knees closer to her chest, then pulled the blanket over her head.

“Why? Did you see one? Is that why…..”

Koska bit her lip, which had started trembling. “No. It’s……worse than that. They have…….they have a base. On Nevarro.”

“ _What_?” Ana asked, her voice an octave higher than usual. For almost half a minute, there was nothing but silence—and the sound of Ana’s attempts to calm her own breathing. When she spoke again, her own voice was tight. “Oh sweetheart…..I’m so sorry. You must’ve been so scared.”

Koska squeezed her eyes shut, and the tears finally fell. “They know where the Covert is—and all I could think about is that Miri is the same age I was when……” A sob escaped her throat as she curled in on herself even tighter.

“I know……..” Ana replied softly, “and I’m _so_ sorry I can’t be there for you and Jeni right now. Maybe we should try to get in touch with Bryn, and…..”

“I can’t go back there! I _won’t!_ ” Koska shouted between sobs.

“Koska, listen to me--you’re _not_ going back to Nevarro until _you’re_ ready—and Bryn would agree. And, I don’t know who it would be, but if _anyone_ tries to tell you otherwise, they _will_ see my Mama Rancor side,” Ana told her firmly. 

A surge of relief washed over Koska—but somehow it just made her cry harder—so that she couldn’t even talk. She tried her best to make herself stop, but to no avail.

“It’s okay to be upset about this. In addition to all the past trauma this brought up, you’ve been through a lot _recently_. If you’d _only_ experienced an attack on your home, or lost your dad, or been separated from a majority of the Tribe, you would _still_ be _completely_ justified in feeling the way you do. But you’ve experienced all three in a _month_ —I’d say you’re _entitled_ to a few tears.”

Koska fought to regain some semblance of composure. “I feel so kriffing _weak_!” she managed.

“I _know_ you do, love—I’ve felt the same about myself so many times since the Imps attacked. But sometimes things just trigger you—and it doesn’t matter how long it’s been since the trauma happened, or how much therapy you’ve had, or how much better your life is now—it’s like your mind, and even your _body_ , think you’re back in that moment, and react accordingly.”

Koska nodded—though of course Ana couldn’t see her. She sniffled. “I just want to be strong—for my sister, for the Tribe…….and I don’t know how.”

Ana sighed. “I feel you, kiddo. We’re _all_ struggling right now—but in my opinion, being together again, even if we’re _not_ in the Covert, is one of the best ways we can regain a sense of normalcy. I’ve been here for less than a full day cycle—and feel better than I have in _weeks_. I think there’s a good chance you and Jeni could have the same experience.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel normal again,” Koska replied, wiping her eyes and nose. “Everything’s different—and it will _never_ be the same as……before.”

“You’re right—it _won’t_ be the same,” Ana said softly. But it _can_ be better than it is right now—and there are several people here who would be glad to help you find that sense of better.”

“Elyse?”

“She’s a given—but my niece—Col’s sister-- is studying art therapy—and she and her dad have done some really great things, even with people who _don’t_ consider themselves artists. And……it’s up to you if and when you want to say anything about it--but she _also_ spent several years at the Imperial Academy. Sometimes it can be helpful to talk to someone else who’s been there—even if your experiences were different.

Koska shrugged, her tears finally slowing. “Maybe.”

“You don’t have to make any decisions right now—just take it as it goes—see what feels right once you get here.”

“Okay….I can do that.”

“I know you can, sweetheart” Ana said fondly. “As far as Bryn goes--all I’m saying is that we need to contact her, and let her know you’re not coming, and why—which I’ll be glad to do. But, I thought if you were up for it, and she agreed, that maybe she could meet up with you and Jeni somewhere—bring you some food, make some tea, give you hugs—you know, mom stuff, since she’s closer than all the rest of us.”

“Thanks,” Koska replied, trying her best not to yawn. “I think we’ll be okay. But….do you think they’ll leave, if they know the Imps are there?”

“That’s for her and Paz to decide—but I’m hoping they will. I know _I’ll_ sleep a lot better when we’re all together again.

“Me too,” Koska mumbled. The tense, achy exhaustion that had encompassed her entire body since she’d regained consciousness had mellowed a bit, to a tiredness that seemed to be pulling her into its dark depths like the lake monster her older siblings used to tease about when she and Jeni were younger.

“Want me to let you go, so I can call her, and you can rest?” Ana asked, and Koska could hear the amused warmth in her voice.

“Mmmhm. Thanks for…..e’erythin’.”

“Anytime, sweetheart—love you.”

“L’v yu t…..”

* * *

Nearly two hours after his wife had left their apartment to meet up with the Reeves sisters, Paz turned down the final hallway leading to the Covert’s hangar. When he’d spoken to them the night before, he’d promised to send only Bryn to greet them—because he had a feeling they were going to need her quiet strength and loving arms, instead of a bunch of boisterous kids with drawings and jokes and new fighting moves to show off. It wasn’t that all of those wouldn’t be appreciated later on—but he knew how tough those first moments facing a new reality could be.

When he opened the final door to the hangar, he was surprised to find that his ship was still the only one there. The hatch was open, and he could hear Bryn’s muffled voice inside, likely on a holocall. He made his way closer, careful to make his steps heard and felt as he climbed the ramp, as he knew that sneaking up on her was _not_ a wise decision.

By the time he reached the cockpit, he found that she’d disconnected from whoever she’d been talking to, and sat with her helmetless chin propped in her hands, staring at the viewport, her mind light years away.

“Mind if I take a seat?” he asked, removing his own helmet.

“Please do.” Once he was sitting beside her, he reached out for her hand, which she immediately gave him.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

She sighed. “That was Ana—the girls aren’t coming….and I’ve learned something that could change…… _everything_ for the Tribe.”

Paz knew she wasn’t one for dramatics. ‘What is _cyar’ika?_ ”

She turned to face him, and was taken aback by the weariness in her eyes, despite the fact that she’d only been awake for a couple of hours. “Jeni and Koska found what they believe to be an Imperial base when they were flying over the mountains.”

_“Karabast!”_ Paz exclaimed. “That’s the _last_ thing they need to deal with right now. Poor kids—even though they’re not kids anymore, but…….yeah,” he shrugged, at a loss for further words.

“Paz…..I don’t know what to do,” Bryn said softly, sounding nothing like the steady, confident _alor_ who was always so encouraging to others in the Tribe.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before stroking his thumb over the back of it in a slow, circular pattern. _Too bad I can’t send her comfort through the Force like Sabine’s Jetti husband._

“I would be shocked if you did—that’s a lot to take in before you’ve even had breakfast—not that you probably feel like eating at this point anyway.” At the stiffening of her posture, and the startled expression on her face, he chuckled. “Don’t worry—I told the kids to go ahead and start without us before I left. Jeni told me last night they might run a little late, and not to make the kids wait too long.”

Bryn sighed in relief. “Thank you, darling—that’s _one_ thing I don’t have to worry about. I don’t suppose you’d like to manage any of the other forty that have suddenly manifested themselves with this unfortunate discovery?”

_She’s cracking jokes—that’s a good sign, right?_ Paz thought to himself. “Manage? No. Be a sounding board, a punching bag, a shoulder to cry on? Sure.”

Bryn let go of his hand, and looped both arms around his forearm before laying her head just below his pauldron. Her brown eyes looked up and met his blue, still distressed, but so full of love it warmed his heart. “How is it that you always manage to make me feel better, even if nothing has actually improved?”

Paz leaned down and kissed her. “It’s in my job description, as both your husband and Captain of the Guard—and I learned from the best.”

She returned the kiss, then pressed her forehead to his afterward. “I believe both your father _and_ your commanding officer would be honored to hear you say that—and that the women in their lives would agree with your assessment.

He shrugged, and kissed her again. “I like to give credit where credit’s due. And the first thing _either_ of them would tell their wives is ‘let those around you help you’—and I’m telling _you_ the same thing,” he said, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. “And, I think the best place for that to happen is with the rest of the Tribe.”

She smiled, nodding, and he could see a faint sheen of tears in her eyes now. “I agree. I’ve missed them all _so_ much.”

Paz lay his head on top of hers. “I know—so have I. Now if we could just get my _di’kut_ brother to join us.”

“Speaking of your brother—in a somewhat roundabout way—I need to contact Cara. Nevarro law enforcement needs to be notified that they still have an Imperial presence that could rear its ugly head—and circumstances being what they are, I feel that our family needs to stay below the surface for the remainder of our time here.”

“When are you thinking we’ll leave?” Paz asked, twisting a wavy lock of her hair around her finger.

“As soon as we can pack and secure our perishables, either by freezing them or putting them in the ship’s conservator to take with us. I’m just thankful, if a situation such as this is going to present itself, that we found out the day _before_ I planned to visit the bazaar to restock our supplies.”

Paz huffed out a laugh. “Like Buir used to say, ‘there’s always something to be thankful for’. And…..what if we’d had our meeting tonight, and the entire Tribe flew in tomorrow, either to stay, or to pack up—and the Imps decided to use a ship or two for target practice—with our _kids_ onboard?”

Bryn closed her eyes, frowning as a shudder ran over her body. “That……could’ve been a tragedy,” she said, barely above a whisper. “

“Yeah,” Paz replied, his voice thick with emotion. They sat in silence for several minutes, just _holding_ each other, pondering the uncertain future of the Tribe.

Bryn finally broke the silence. “I should call Cara, and we should begin our preparations to leave. Can you see to breakfast clean-up?”

Paz slid one hand up her back, massaging the base of her neck, where he knew she carried a lot of tension. “Already made assignments, and I’ll get them to start going through the food when I get back—and packing. Would you say……five days’ worth of clothes?”

She smiled. “See, you _are_ assisting me with my duties—and I’ll have you know it’s _very_ attractive.” She tilted her head slightly, and kissed him until they were both breathless. “Thank you, love.”

He returned the kiss with one of equal fervor. “You’re welcome, _ner kar’ta_. Call Cara and tell her the news, and I’ll handle the rest.” A thought occurred to him, and a slow smile spread across his face. “You know, we’ve got several loads of laundry going, so maybe we should wait on the packing until it’s done. So……after the perishables are sorted, I’ll send the kids to the rec room—and you and _I_ can have a breakfast date. We can even eat in bed, if you’d like,” he offered, raising an eyebrow as he kissed her hand.

Bryn stood and framed his face with her hands, then kissed him in a way that made her acceptance of his offer clear. “ _That_ sounds wonderful. Perhaps this would be a good time for the children to watch the holovid Sabine sent home with them.” She kissed his cheek up high, near his ear, then whispered, “I happened to notice that the running time is nearly two and a half hours.”

“Oh, I _like_ that idea. I like it a _lot_ ,” Paz chuckled, kissing her neck once, twice--until his stomach growled like an angry Wookiee. “But first things first. See you in…..half an hour?”

“That should be sufficient.” She kissed him once more. “I love you.”

He returned the kiss. “Love you too, _mesh’la_.”

* * *

“So it’s on the right side of the left drawer near the back? Right? But not right as in right, right as in correct.”

Cara laughed. “You got it. I can’t _believe_ Greef didn’t give it to you before he left!”

Kitra rolled her eyes on the holodisplay projecting from Cara’s vambrace. “Guess he was too busy thinking about fancy booze and fancy food and fancy clothes to remember to give me back my blasted _keycard!_ ”

Cara shrugged. “Well, to be fair, he didn’t know I was leaving town—and if _I_ hadn’t been so focused on gathering all the right supplies and getting off planet, I would’ve brought it to you myself.”

Kitra flapped her hand in dismissal. “Hey, I did the ‘single mom with a teething baby’ thing with my last one—I know what it’s like—and I commend you for being so ready to help your friend out. And anyway, I got in touch with you, so it all worked out in the end.”

Cara barely restrained a laugh at the ‘single mom’ part—but didn’t correct her well-meaning co-worker, who had offered to set her up with local guys more than once. “Thanks. If you need anything else, feel free to comm me back.”

Kitra gave her a thumbs up. “I will—but I think that should be it. Now, go enjoy your visit. You know how often it is that Greef Karga takes time off from Guild business? Next to never! But without Imps, or hunters coming and going at all hours of the day and night, it’s almost like _we’re_ on vacation—at least so far.”

“Enjoy the peace while it lasts,” Cara answered with a smirk.

There was a crash in the background, followed by “I didn’t do it!” and an answering “Yes she did, Mom!”

“You need to go take care of that?” Being around Bryn’s kids had reminded Cara of how chaotic they could be—and how quick a disagreement could turn into an all-out sibling war.

Kitra covered her eyes with one hand, and shook her head. “Yes—otherwise dinner will never get done, and I’ll have to do a crime scene investigation in my own house!”

Cara gave her a sympathetic smile. “Okay, see you next…..”

“Wait!” Kitra cut in, she waving her hands her hands frantically in front of her. “Wait—there was one more thing! Greef told me to tell you ‘all three are in the clear’—and that you’d know what it means.”

It took a moment for Cara to process—but when the meaning finally registered, it was like getting punched in the gut—in a good way. “Yeah, it does—thanks for telling me,” she answered, so overwhelmed with gratitude that she could barely speak.

“You’re welcome—see you when you get back,” Kitra said, and disconnected to go keep her kids from killing each other.

* * *

“Now reach upward and back into reverse Bantha—and remember to keep your motion fluid and gentle,” Ahsoka instructed, her voice as even and soothing as the soft music playing over the _Loth Bat’s_ sound system.

_Easy for you to say_ — _you’ve been doing this your entire life_ , Din thought as he tried not to fall over—or fall asleep. All three Force sensitives seemed comfortable and relaxed with this form of meditation—and Sabine had clearly inherited her mother’s flexibility—but Din felt stiff and awkward, and expected it wouldn’t be long before he pulled something— _exactly_ what someone who was caring for a toddler full-time needed.

Thank goodness for Cara.

As if that thought was enough to summon her, he heard the door leading to the ship’s central hallway open—and somehow his body _did_ relax a bit more as she re-entered the room, a pleased smirk on her face that made his heart flip-flop.

“I take it everything’s okay?” Din whispered as she reclaimed her place next to him and moved into the next pose—moon and stars.

“More than okay—I’ve got some good news for you,” she whispered back—which earned a scowl and a disgruntled whine from Grogu, and suppressed giggles from Sabine and Ezra at his grumpy green expression.

“Sorry,” Cara whispered, giving the little guy a sheepish grin, then turned back to Din. “Come with me,” she said, motioning toward the door from which she’d just entered.

Din gave the others a nod, and followed her. When the door was shut, he asked, “So what’s this good news?”

She looked up into his eyes, which sparkled with excitement. “Greef cleared our chain codes—mine, yours, and Grogu’s. You can go anywhere you want now—even back with the Tribe.”

Din stared at her for several moments, before he found words. “Cara…….that’s……..amazing.” Seeing Paz the night before had made him realize how much he’d missed his family—and the thought of not seeing them again for who knew how long had made his heart ache.

“It is, isn’t it? You can see your friends again—and Grogu can finally meet his _cousins_!” She took his hands in hers. “I’m so happy—for _both_ of you.”

Din was overcome with love for the woman before him—and overwhelmed at the possibilities. “Bryn told me when she asked me to serve as _beroya_ , after the Purge, that it was a conditional assignment meant for someone without kids—but now I have Grogu, and….,” he sighed, “I really don’t know what to do with myself.”

She squeezed his hands. “I know there’s a lot going on right now, with adopting him, and now trying to figure out who the Force wants to do his training—on top of the fact that the Tribe could decide to pack up and move……wherever. But you’ll figure it out……and you’ve got me for five more days, so……” she trailed off, her eyes once again locking with his as she reached up to cup the side of his helmet.

The holo chime sounded from her vambrace, startling them apart. The blush on her cheeks matched the one beneath his helmet as she fumbled to check the identification display. “It’s Paz’s ship comm,” she said, then pressed the button to answer it. “Bryn, hey! Didn’t expect to hear from you today.”

“And I didn’t expect to call you……but some new information has come to light that you—and others in Nevarro law enforcement--need to be made aware of.”

Din watched as Cara’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What kind of information? Is everything okay? Did Paz……”

Bryn nodded. “Paz is fine—a bit tired after getting home so late, and getting up extra early this morning—but he’s safe.” Was it just him, or did her voice crack slightly on the last word?

“What about Koska and Jeni?” Din asked. “Sabine said they were headed to Nevarro.”

Bryn sighed. “They were—but after their discovery, they decided to rejoin the rest of the Tribe instead—and I don’t blame them. In fact…..Paz and I plan to follow them as soon as possible.”

“Bryn, _what_ happened?” Cara asked, not unkindly. “And why do _my_ people need to know about it?”

Bryn took a deep breath, and then she told them. Cara reached for Din's hand, squeezing it hard—and he could feel it tremble slightly. But by the time Bryn finished her recount of the morning’s events, Cara was in Enforcer mode, taking charge of the situation in the things within her realm of responsibility.

“Okay, I’m going to comm the head of Nevarro patrol, and give her a heads-up—not to engage, just to be on alert. She’s level-headed, and good with tech—and I trust her. If you’re comfortable with it, I can also get Sabine to send her the door logistics Jerem programmed in for me yesterday, so she’ll be alerted if someone tries to breach them—not that I expect them to—but it never hurts to be cautious.”

“Yes, please, to both,” Bryn replied, and Din could see the relief in her body language.

“Okay, consider it done. Anything else you can think of?”

“Yes—the relocation meeting. It will be tomorrow evening, so that the Reeves girls and my own family with have time to get back to the others—and I expect Sabine and Ezra will have returned by then as well.”

Din took a deep breath. “We’ll be there, too.”

Bryn’s hand covered the part of her helmet over her mouth. “ _You’re_ coming…… _here_?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes. Cara’s boss fixed all our chain codes, and……..we _need_ to be together right now,” he finished, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“That we do,” she replied, her own voice thick.

There was a knock at the door, and when Cara opened it, Sabine was there, with a sleepy Grogu in her arms. “Sorry for interrupting—but he wanted _you_.” She stepped closer, and Din took Grogu from her arms into his own.

“There is no reason to apologize, Sabine, dear” Bryn said. “How have you been these past……almost eleven years? I hear congratulations are in order.”

“Thank you,” Sabine replied with a smile. “Ezra and I are very happy—and we _loved_ having your family visit us.”

“Well, then you’ll be pleased to hear that we’re on the way to the Tribe’s safe house—so we’ll likely see you tomorrow—if you’re returning tonight, that is.”

“Oh wow, that’s _great_! Have you commed my mom to let her know you’re coming?”

“No—but Ana knows, and she’ll tell her.”

Ahsoka stuck her head around the edge of the door. “No rush, but Ezra wanted me to let you know the fruit ice is ready.”

Bryn chuckled. “On the contrary, I believe a rush to consume such a treat before it melts is wise. You must be Ahsoka Tano.”

“Yes. Are you the Tribe’s _alor?_ ”

She nodded once. “I am—and I’ve heard many tales of your valor, both on and off the battlefield. I’ve also heard you are a loyal and trustworthy friend, from some of those I trust most. I wondered if perhaps you might be interested in paying them a visit?”

Ahsoka’s face lit up in a bright smile. “I would love that—it’s been so long since I’ve seen them!

“Then so be it--but why not have a bit of fun with it, and surprise them?" she said in her prim, teasing tone.

“Oh, _this_ is gonna be _good!_ ” Sabine exclaimed.

“Not if you don’t eat it before it melts!” Ezra called from the other room, which made the rest of them laugh.

“Go, enjoy your snack—and I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Bryn replied.

After a quick round of goodbyes, she disconnected, and Din put the now-snoring Grogu down in one of the spare rooms before rejoining the others. Despite the fact that the Imperials could still cause trouble for the Tribe, his heart was lighter than it had been in a long time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter started out angsty—but now everyone’s Finally going to be together—even Ahsoka—at least for a little while—woohoo!
> 
> The ways in which this story diverges from canon are becoming more and more clear—and will continue to do so. I just hope I can pull everything together and make all the bits and pieces and plot bunnies into one semi-cohesive story.
> 
> I am so glad to have this one done—and so excited about what’s coming next! I’m thinking…..happy reunions, Grogu getting to play with other kids, and Cara getting to meet more people from the Tribe—but we’ll see. 
> 
> Also, our girl Koska will definitely be getting the love and support and help she needs—I’m just not exactly sure when it will be shown yet. When you have a huuuuuuge ensemble cast, deciding who does what when, and how big their role is, at least for now, is quite the challenge at time
> 
> Comments and kudos are fruit ice.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed--I'm still trying to get my writing groove back, but chapter 2 is done, and should be posted by the end of the week, if all goes as planned. This chapter only had four characters--that will not be the case with the next one ;)
> 
> Reviews are hot chocolate and pastries with new friends!


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